Romania's Food and Wine

Appetizer
All kinds of cheeses, cold cuts and vegetable spreads.

A traditional drink enjoyed with appetizers is " ţuică " (a potent plum brandy) which varies in strength, dryness and bouquet according to the production area.

Soup
"Ciorbă de perişoare" (meatball soup), "ciorbă ţărănească " (vegetable soup, with or without meat), "ciorbă de burtă " (tripe soup).

Fish
"Saramură " (grilled carp in brine), "nisetru la grătar " (grilled Black Sea sturgeon) or "scrumbie la grătar " (grilled herring).

Entree
"Tocaniţă " or "tochitură " (meat stew seasoned with onions and/ or spices),
"ghiveci " (over 20 vegetables cooked in oil), "sarmale " (pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with a mix of minced meats, rice and spices) and "mititei " (The "Wee Ones" - small skinless grilled sausages) are among the favorites.

Dessert
"Papanaşi " (cottage cheese donuts, topped with sour cream and fruit preserve),
"clătite cu brânză " (crepes filled with cottage cheese, raisins and spices) and
"cozonac " (traditional holiday sweet bread filled with walnuts, poppy seeds or cream cheese).

Cheese and tree bark don't seem like a natural fit. But this specialty of southeast Transylvania, especially in the towns and villages that include Moeciu and Fundata, may go as far back as the 14th century. Dairy farmers needed a way to store the surplus cheese, and the local evergreen forests provided the perfect vehicle. After all, woody bark provides wonderful protection for trees. Strip the bark from a fir tree, wrap it around the cheese and presto: the dairy product remains moist and preserved from the elements.

Little Romania in lower Manhattan was a neighborhood within a neighborhood, tucked into the blocks bound by East Houston Street, Allen Street, Grand Street, and the Bowery. When the Romanian-born writer Marcus Ravage arrived in New York in 1900, he found the area thriving; restaurants had opened everywhere, he recalled in a memoir, and the first Romanian delicatessens were displaying "goose-pastrama and kegs of ripe olives".

"Goose-pastrama" was the starting point for American pastrami. The Jewish immigrants who settled in Little Romania brought with them a traditional technique for preserving goose by salting, seasoning, and smoking the meat. In America, however, beef was cheaper and more widely available than goose, so pastrama was made with beef brisket instead. Later the name became pastrami—perhaps because it rhymed with "salami" and was sold in the same delicatessens. By the time Little Romania dispersed in the 1940s, New Yorkers from every ethnic background were claiming expertly sliced pastrami as their rightful heritage.

A long rope of sweet yeast dough is tightly wrapped in a spiral around a wooden form, something like a rolling pin, and dusted with sugar. It is then baked, slowly
turning, on a rotating spit above an open flame. Carefully edged off its wooden mold after baking, each chimney cake is a whimsical-looking, soft bread with an addictively crunchy caramelized sugar crust and an airy open center.

Chimney Cakes - Transylvanian TreatsAnna Kozma, who hails from Romania, said this special-occasion cake (called kurtoskalacs, or chimney cake) was just a provincial treat until after the fall of Communism, when entrepreneurs began opening city shops in Romania, Hungary and elsewhere in Europe.

Now, at her Chimney Cake store and cafe in Long Island City - Queens,
Ms. Kozma makes everything by hand,
in an open kitchen in plain view, introducing a whole new population
to the pleasures of these tubular treats that look like giant empty cannoli. She makes an old-fashioned sugar-dusted version, of course, but
her menu also includes variations
from cinnamon to crushed walnuts
to chocolate shavings.
They are best eaten, fresh, by breaking off pieces.

Bucharest – Romania's capital city – is changing at a fast pace and its dining scene
is evolving, too. New or relatively new restaurants of note include Loft, a modern restaurant and lounge, Lacrimi si Sfinti, Bistro Jaristea and Zexe (the last three offer traditional Romanian cuisine).

Loft

A hundred years-old printing house, located in Bucharest's central area, has been recently converted into one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Romania: LOFT.

Modern design, high-class cuisine and 'cool people' are the attributes which are usually associated with LOFT – Bucharest.

Drinks are in plain sight behind a 50-foot long bar. If you will be intrigued by the big white chandelier hanging above the bar: is the signature statement of the owners who have a long tradition in the restaurant and club business.

Address: Bd. Iancu de Hunedoara 55 – 57 (Metropolis Centre)
Telephone: 0756 385.638
www.LoftLounge.ro

Bistro Jaristea

Perfectly positioned in the centre on Romania's capital city – Bucharest, a short walk from the Romanian Athenaeum and Romania's National Art Museum, Bistro Jaristea offers good Romanian urban cuisine, an award-winning wine list, and attentive service in a setting that recreates the atmosphere of Bucharest on the 1930's, when the city was nicknamed The Little Paris.

Traditional Romanian specialties include chicken meatball soup, Zacusca
(seven-vegetable spread), smoked cheese and bacon roulade, duck leg with cabbage, duck breast with Ratatouille, Sarmale (cabbage rolls),
Grilled Carp in Brine, leeks and olive stew.

The prix-fixe lunch includes a soup, entree and dessert for $9.00.

Address: Str. Henri Coanda - Bucharest
Telephone: 021 650.50.00
www.BistroJaristea.ro
office@jaristea.ro

Lacrimi si Sfinti

The newest – and environmentally-conscious restaurant in Bucharest - Romania's capital city has recently opened its doors!

Its name Lacrimi si Sfinti (Tears and Saints) is definitely misleading as the
restaurant offers many reasons to smile and not to cry ...

The restaurant's designer has spared both trees and feelings with his responsible wholly-salvaged timber policy. All the wood used had to pass an age test before it was eligible to become part of the rustic yet sophisticated interior.
Abandoned houses, a village store and a few old barns were among the structures picked apart to provide the materials for this Bucharest restaurant, which has a homely feel from the furniture and features, and adds coziness to the dining rooms.

Connoisseurs and students of Romanian cuisine as well can try and enjoy
the traditional dishes that are on the 'endangered list of native recipes'.
Hundreds year old recipes have been 'restored' and reinterpreted,
flavors have been found or invented ...

Many traditional dishes have been renamed to remember the old times:
Frivolous Danube Mackerel, Balkan Eggplant Spread, Long Way Salad,
Pick Me Up soup (sour soup with 'unnecessary' bits of goose, duck, turkey and rooster), "Sentimental' Catfish, Old Fisherman's Brine, 'Accorded' Sausages
(made from goose, veal and pork), Noah Baked Beans (smoked goose and beans), 'Turkey Sentry', 'Good Weather Veal'.

The wine list includes native wine varieties such Tamaioasa (a naturally sweet or semi-sweet white wine with subtle honey and basil aromas, an exquisite amber color and a persistent rich taste; its sweet taste may also suggest a blend of rose petals and wild berries) , Feteasca Neagra (Semi-sweet, medium bodied, light red wine, with original aromas), Feteasca Alba (Semi-dry white wine, well balanced, with a distinct aroma reminiscent of the first flowering of the vineyard) and Cadarca (this native variety , displaying a ruby-red color with a stinging taste of fresh clove, was the wine of the imperial court of Vienna during the reign of Emperor Franz Josef, in the 18th century).

Address: Str. Sepcari 16 - Bucharest
Telephone: 037 277.39.99
www.LacrimiSiSfinti.com
contact@lacrimisisfinti.com

ROMANIAN WINES
Whether you travel in Romania along the coast of the Black Sea or in the Dobrogea Plateau near the Danube Delta region or in the Province of Moldova or along valley slopes of the scenic Carpathian Mountains or in Transylvania Province or in Wallachia or in nearly any agricultural area throughout Romania, you're in wine country.

Romania is one of the world's top-ranking producers of numerous delicious wines,
some of which never leave its borders.

Archeological evidence of country-wide wine production in Romania's grape-friendly soil and climate dates back to theclassical Greek and Roman eras of settlement in Romanian Wine - TohaniRomania. Today, on a list of
the world's "Top 12 Wine Producers", in which France ranks number one and Italy is listed as number two, Romania ranks tenth (10th) among the world's top wine producers by volume. (Attribution: U.S. News & World Report, May 20, 2002, page 30, citing source: Wine Institute based on data from Office Internationale de la Vigne
et du Vin.)

Romania 's climate and soil are hospitable to the production of many different types of wines, from dry, sparkling whites to rich, aromatic, purplish reds.

Popular domestic grape varieties used for wine production include Frâncuşă, Fetească Albă, Tămâioasă, Fetească Neagră, Băbească.
Francusa-A very versatile soft, dry wine, crisp and lively, with just the slightest touch of sweetness.
Feteasca Alba-Semi-dry white wine, well balanced, with a distinct aroma reminiscient of the first flowering of the vineyard.
Tamaioasa Romaneasca-A naturally sweet or semi-sweet white wine with subtle honey and basil aromas, an exquisite amber color and a persistent rich taste. Its sweet taste may also suggest a blend of rose petals and wild berries.
Grasa de Cotnari-A naturally sweet white wine with a delicate fragrance and a smooth interplay of fruitiness and acidity.
Galbena de Odobesti-A light white wine with a delicate bouquet that preserves the fragrance of the mellow grape.
Feteasca Neagra-– Semi-sweet, medium bodied, light red wine, with original aromas.
Babeasca Neagra-Traditional full bodied red wine with a delicate bouquet and a slight taste of clove.
Cadarca-this red, native variety , displaying a ruby-red color with a stinging taste of fresh clove, was the wine of the imperial court of Vienna during the reign of Emperor Franz Josef, in the 18th century.

ROMANIAN VINEYARDS
Jidvei Vinery-Located in the Târnava valley ( Transylvania ), is known for its superb dry white wines. Wine tasting is offered at the 16th century Bethlen Castle in Cetatea de Baltă, located between Târnăveni and Blaj.
More information: www.jidvei.ro
Segarcea - Crown's Estate (Royal Domain)-Located 150 miles southwest of Bucharest, Segarcea winery is known for its quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Fetească Albă and Italian Riesling. The Crown's Estate may be the only wineyard in the world which produces the "Tămâioasă Roză" (Pink Tămâioasă) - a fine rosé wine with a delicate aroma of candied peels of orange and grapefruit. Other domestic grape varieties grown at Segarcea vinayards include: Novac, Negru de Drăgăşani, Fetească Neagră, Tămâioasă Albă Românească, Fetească Albă, Crâmpoşie.
More information: www.domeniulcoroanei.com
Murfatlar Vineyard-Murfatlar, one of the most famous Romanian vineyards, is located just miles west from the Black Sea coast. Over 300 days of sunshine, along with cool breezes from the sea, make this area ideal for the production of sweet dessert wines, such as late harvest Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Muscat Ottonel. Soft, rich red wines are also produced here - Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir being the most popular.
More information: www.murfatlar.com/site/eng/index.html
Cotnari Vineyard-Cotnari Vineyard is world famous for the delicious sweet white wines made of grapes rich in sugar and harvested in late autumn following the first frost, such as Grasă de Cotnari, a noble aromatic wine with a nutlike savor. The quality of these wines relies on a combination of rich soil, the late harvest and the presence of a special mold (Botritis cinerea). The vineyards have a long history, spanning over seven centuries, dating from the time of Stephan the Great (1457 - 1504). The winery's most popular wines include Frâncuşă (dry), Fetească Albă
(semi-sweet) - highly appreciated for preserving the flavor and freshness of the grape; and the sweet, golden Grasă de Cotnari, a noble aromatic wine with a nutlike savor and Tămâioasă.
More information: www.cotnari.ro
Odobesti-Odobesti is one of largest and oldest vineyards in Romania . Its most famous product is Galbenă de Odobeşti, a light white wine with a delicate bouquet that preserves the fragrance of the mellow grape. The wide variety of wines produced by the Odobesti includes five traditional sorts of Romanian wine, namely: Galbenă de Odobeşti, Plăvaie, Fetească Albă and Fetească Regală (white wines) and Băbească Neagră (red wine).
More information:www.vinconromania.ro
The Miniş Maderat Vineyard-Stretching on the hills of western Romania (Crişana), between Lipova and Pancota, produces the red, native variety Cadarca, displaying a ruby-red color with a stinging taste of fresh clove. During the reign of Emperor Franz Josef, in the 18th century, Cadarcă served as the wine of the imperial court of Vienna. In 1862, at a wine contest in London, Roşu de Miniş (Red Miniş) was awarded the first prize. Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Cadarca are produced employing classical winemaking technologies, while the white wines like Italian Riesling, Traminer, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, are obtained by using cooling zymurgy, resulting in fruity white wines of great finesse.
More information: www.wineprincess.ro
Recas-Nearby Timisoara lies the vineyard of Recaş, with a history dating back to the 15th century. Some of the award-winning wines produced here include Italian Riesling, Fetească Regală, Muscat Ottonel/Fetească Regală, Sauvignon Blanc (white wines); Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir/Merlot (red wines).
More information: www.recaswine.ro