Each dish of Romanian food is imprinted with a bit of the country's history. An authentic Romanian meal is a culinary excursion filled with garlic, earthy ingredients and delectable cultural influences.
By John Jacobs

In a land of mythology that gave life to legends of werewolves and vampires is found foods that are precursors to what we eat today. Mamaliga is one of them, and you know it today by the name "polenta." It is hard not to fall in love with a country that has embraced a food that represents the past and present.

The past is found in its history as a staple food for people who were poor farmers. The future is found in polenta, now served in the world's five star restaurants. Romania is an enduring country, and that endurance is an ingredient in all of the cuisine.

Infused with History
The Eastern Europe country of Romania has a very long history that is filled with stories of invasions by the Romans, Goths, and Huns; membership in the Ottoman Empire; revolutions; declaration of independence; occupation by the Soviet Union; another revolution; fall of the communist party; and a transition to democracy and a free market. Today, the country is a member of NATO and the European Union. Each event had an impact on the national food.

An agricultural economy for centuries, people struggling to survive on meager rations, and the nation's resilience is reflected in favorite recipes that to this day incorporate an agricultural bounty. Indeed, one of Romania's largest industries is based in agriculture, but the country transformed itself from small farming to a major exporter of agricultural and food products, and wine and alcohol.

Romania is bordered by Bulgaria, Moldova, Hungary, Ukraine and Serbia, and sits on the Black Sea. Over the centuries, Romania's borders changed due to invasions and war, and that also had enormous influence on Romanian cuisine.

Due to its agricultural history, the national foods harken back to the days when farming families depended on their own resources for food.

Sarmale is a rolled minced meat dish that usually consists of pork. The meat is mixed with herbs and rice, rolled in sour cabbage or vine leaves, and served with mamaliga. Romanian mamaliga is the result of the Ottoman occupation in the 12th century. People were forced to adapt to the situation and grow more corn and raise pigs.

Sarmale also became a staple dish during this period, but for a different reason. The Greek Orthodox established numerous monasteries in rural areas, and the church religious calendar had a period of vegan fasting. During this fasting period (called "post"), the Romanians ate only vegetables, walnuts, raisins, and vine leaves. In the 1700-1800s, other influences were embedded in the cuisine – France, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, and other countries.

Staying Healthy and Keeping Evil Spirits Away Through Food
One of the wonderful aspects of Romanian cuisine is that ordinary dishes at risk of being bland are enhanced with expert use of spices and garlic. Garlic holds a special place in romanian recipes because it is believed to be a natural medicine due to the compound allicin. There is generous use of garlic in the national food called mititei (also known as aka mike). These are small caseless sausages made from minced pork and beef, and mixed with garlic and spices. Another garlic-flavored dish is ciorba de burta a spicy tripe soup made with chilies and pepper, vinegar dressing, garlic. Soups and stews are frequently served with mujdei, a garlic paste or sauce made with crushed garlic cloves and sunflower oil, to which sour cream is sometimes added. Mudjei is also used on grilled sausages, chicken, beef and pork. Tradition also says garlic can keep people safe from evil spirits, an important quality in a country that is home to transylvania (tongue-in-cheek, of course).

Pork takes center stage in many recipes. Traditional foods include pork stew topped with a fried egg (tochitura); pork and cabbage soup (ciorba de potroace); smoked sausages (cârna?i afuma?i) flavored with cumin, paprika, and garlic; fried bacon (jumari cu ceapa); vegetable soup with pork (ciorba Ardeleneasca de porc); and fried pork meatballs (pârjoale moldovene?ti).

Pork is also at the heart of Christmas dishes because pigs are butchered a week before the holiday triggering a food fest among friends and family.

Bounty of Vegetables
Pork, beef, lamb, and chicken appear in many recipes, but there is also a bounty of traditional vegetable and salad dishes, some of which include some kind of meat. Organic vegetables and fruits are plentiful in the rural and city areas. A cool cucumber salad (alata castraveti) or colorful tomato salad (salata rosii) are the simplest salads. Beetroot (sfecle rosie) salad with horseradish (hrean) has a zesty flavor, and this particular salad can be used in a variety of ways, including as a topping on lettuce. The vegetable salad called "A la Rousse" is an agricultural bounty of potatoes, pickled red bell peppers, dill pickles, carrots, and vegetarian or meat sausages.

Beans are turned into soup with ham hock (ciorba de fasole cu ciolan) and bean paste with smoked meat (iahnie de fasole cu afumatura). Potatoes are baked with rosemary or used in potato goulash with smoked meat (gula? de cartofi cu afumatura). Romanians roast corn on the cob, bake pumpkin, mash eggplant into a paste with onions and red peppers. Spinach pie (budinca de spanac), zucchini or squash pie (budinca de dovlecei la cuptor), and filled zucchini with mushrooms (dovlecei umpluti cu ciuperci) are vegetarian dishes. Beef salad (salata doeuf) is made with boiled, cubed parsley roots, and peas, with pickles, potatoes, eggs, and beef added.

Everyone is Welcomed
Romanians have a sweet tooth, too, and history is baked into the Slavic and French inspired Savarina, a sweet rum-soaked pastry filled with pastry cream, and the Greek and Bulgarian delight called cozonac, a sweet leavened bread that can be filled with a variety of ingredients like walnut paste, cheese, nuts, and/or raisins. Traditional papana?i is a fried donut-like pastry made of dough mixed with cheese and served with sour cream and jam on top. From soups to main courses to desserts, traditional Romanian food accommodates any kind of diet for meat, vegetarian, and sweet lovers.