Discover Romanian dishes

Discover Romanian dishes during your stay in the country

If you are planning a stay in Eastern Europe, and you choose Romania, it is very likely that one of the questions you will ask yourself is: what do we eat in Romania?

Of course, the myth of Dracula wants us to drink blood there, and nothing else. But far from contemporary clichés, Romanian food is very similar to French food, with, of course, its specificities and typical dishes specific to its culture.

We offer you an overview so that you are not too disoriented when you arrive. Above all, you will know which Romanian dishes to try!

Typical Romanian dishes in restaurants

It must be understood that a Romanian meal is often articulated in the same way as a French meal: there will be a “starter”, then a “main course” and a “dessert”.

It will not be uncommon if you are invited to start the meal with a glass of tuica, the local plum brandy. They say in Romania that it whets the appetite.

The starter, or first course (“felul intai” ndlr) is often a soup: the ciorba. There are several kinds, and each could represent a specific region of Romania. Romanian soups are hearty, full of flavor, and definitely worth a try.

The main dish served in a restaurant will often be a grill. Meat is at the center of the meal for Romanians. But for all that, you will find in many restaurants the specific dishes of Romania: stuffed cabbage (“sarmale” ndlr), stew or “tochitura”, ciulama a kind of chicken stew with mushrooms, lamb pastrama (seasoned, smoked and grilled lamb meat) served with polenta.

For dessert, you will find in the restaurant the famous papanasi: a kind of cheese fritter, served with fresh cream and red fruit jam (morello cherries, blueberries, or berries). You will of course find all the classic desserts of a restaurant, from ice cream to pastries.

Street food

When you visit a country, you often want to taste the local food on every street corner.

In the big cities of Romania (and the small ones too), you will find everywhere specialties that will not leave you indifferent.

In Transylvania for example, Sibiu / Cluj region, you can find Kürtos Kalacs, a kind of brioche baked on a roll, caramelized over a wood fire, and covered with nuts, sugar and cinnamon, or toasted almonds… a delight!

The “gogosi” are also to be tried. They are stuffed donuts most of the time with jam or cheese.

Finally, there are tea rooms called “cofetarie”, where you can sit in a quiet setting and enjoy homemade pastries all day long.

Festivals

In Romania, there is always something to do outdoors.

From spring to autumn, festivals flourish in town and in the countryside, and are often an opportunity to discover local specialties.

In particular in summer, the medieval festivals will allow you to taste traditional food cooked by specialists with local ingredients, at an unbeatable price.

What do we drink in Romania?

Accompanying your Romanian dishes with a beer or a good glass of wine is very easy, often inexpensive given the quality of the products.

You should know that Romania is developing very quickly in terms of wines, and offers vintages very well rated by critics of the estate.

We recommend classic and local beers: Ursus, Timisoreana.

In wine, orient turn to the discovery of local grape varieties: feteasca neagra, feteasca regala for example.

Whatever the duration of your stay in Romania, it will be difficult for you to discover all the culinary specificities of the country, in the same way that it is difficult for us to summarize them here.

We therefore suggest that you prepare your trip, or extend your stay on your return, by consulting the Central transylvania food blog.

Discover how to organize your stay in Romania in our blog by clicking here.

We wish you all a nice discovery and a good stay!