Romanian cuisine: 15 dishes to try and where to find them

Romanian cuisine is one of Europe’s great poorly kept secrets. Meeting point between Carpathian peasant tradition, Ottoman influence (Wallachia and Moldavia were tributaries of the Ottoman Empire for three centuries), Austro-Hungarian heritage in Transylvania, Greek and Slavic touches, and a proud affirmation of local produce: cheeses, charcuterie, pickled vegetables, wood-oven bread. Eating in Romania costs little and satisfies much. This post explains what to order.

The 15 essential dishes

1. Sarmale — the national dish. Rolls of fermented cabbage stuffed with minced meat (pork or mix), rice and spices, slow-cooked for hours. Served with mămăligă and sour cream. Every family has its recipe; at Christmas and Easter they are obligatory.

2. Mămăligă — corn polenta, nearly universal side. Served plain (with cheese and cream) or layered (balmoș). It replaced bread in rural zones for centuries.

3. Mici (or mititei) — casingless grilled sausages, mix of beef, lamb and pork, with garlic and bicarbonate. Street food par excellence. Eaten with mustard and bread, washed down with cold beer.

4. Ciorbă de burtă — tripe soup with sour cream, garlic and vinegar. Sharp, powerful, a hangover classic. Also ciorbă de perișoare (with meatballs), ciorbă de legume (vegetable), ciorbă rădăuțeană (with chicken, clear).

5. Tochitură — pork stew with polenta, fried egg and melted cheese. Heavy mountain breakfast or abundant dinner.

6. Piftie / răcituri — pork meat jelly, cold winter dish. Eaten at New Year as an amulet.

7. Fasole bătută — white bean paté with caramelised onion. Orthodox fasting dish, vegetarian by accident.

8. Zacuscă — aubergine, roasted pepper, tomato and onion preserve. Spread on bread. Every Romanian home has homemade jars in the pantry.

9. Mușchi de porc la cuptor — oven-baked pork loin with herbs, accompanied by potatoes and vegetables.

10. Papanași — the national dessert. Fried fresh-cheese doughnuts, served with blueberry jam and sour cream. Eaten hot, they are enormous — one papanaș for two.

11. Cozonac — braided cake with walnuts, raisins and cocoa. Easter and Christmas sweet bread.

12. Plăcintă — baked or fried stuffed pastry, savoury (cheese, potato, cabbage) or sweet (apple, cherry). Common street food.

13. Slănină — raw smoked bacon, eaten with onion and bread, with țuică before the meal. Rural aperitif par excellence.

14. Pastramă de oaie — smoked lamb cured meat. Shepherd’s dish in the Carpathians.

15. Trout (păstrăv) — in Bucovina, Maramureș and the Carpathians, fresh from the river, grilled with lemon and dill.

Drinks

Țuică: plum brandy (50°+), served before the meal, never after. If it’s homemade and from rural Transylvania, it’s something else — better than any Italian grappa.

Palincă: twice-distilled țuică, 60°+. Maramureș and Transylvania. Taken in a small glass, one shot.

Wines: Romania is the sixth producer in Europe, nearly unknown outside. Native varieties: Fetească Neagră (soft red), Fetească Albă (fruity white), Tămâioasă Românească (aromatic sweet white). Recommended wineries: Cramele Recaș, Avincis, Lacerta, Budureasca, Prince Stirbey. €15-30 for a quality bottle.

Beer: Ursus, Ciuc, Timișoreana. Decent Romanian beer but not extraordinary. Better options: urban micro-breweries in Bucharest and Cluj.

Coffee: Turkish (mic) or espresso (scurt). The young generation has adopted speciality coffee: third wave in Bucharest and Cluj is excellent.

Where to eat for real

Traditional restaurants:

• Caru’ cu Bere (Bucharest, old centre): art nouveau beauty, touristy but decent food.
• Hanu’ Berarilor (several cities): restaurant chain in historic buildings, good value.
• Lacrimi și Sfinți (Bucharest): modern Romanian cuisine, careful reinterpretation.
• Crama Sibiana (Sibiu): regional wine + Saxon-Romanian dishes.

Street food and markets:

• Piața Obor (Bucharest): traditional market with legendary mici stalls.
• Târgu de Crăciun (Christmas markets, December): cozonac, vin fiert, langoși.
• Rural pensiuni: the best Romanian food is always in family homes in Maramureș, Bucovina, the Carpathians — not in urban restaurants.

Approximate prices

• Full meal mid-range restaurant: 60-100 lei (€12-20).
• Mici + beer on terrace: 30-40 lei (€6-8).
• Menu of the day: 30-45 lei (€6-9).
• Dinner at upscale restaurant: 150-250 lei (€30-50).
• Bottle of decent Romanian wine: 60-100 lei (€12-20).

Customs

• Bread always on the table, free, eaten with everything.
• Tip: 10% standard, not included.
• Meal times: 13:00-15:00 lunch, 19:00-21:00 dinner. Kitchens close early outside big cities.
• Vegetarians: hard in traditional Romanian but options exist (fasole, zacuscă, ciorbă de legume). Bucharest and Cluj have modern vegan restaurants.
• Sunday: much of traditional cuisine closes Sunday afternoon.

Far Guides’ complete Romania guide includes an EN-RO gastronomic dictionary with pronunciation, 30 restaurants selected by region and two gastronomic routes (Saxon Transylvania / Bucovina-Maramureș).