Romania Restaurants

Food in Romania is very good and cheap if you compare to western prices. It seems very expansive for local standard of living. Of course a moderate tip at the beginning to the waiter will give you better service and better food. Although international cuisine is available in better quality restaurants, make sure that you savour the local Romanian dishes. Typical Romanian specialities include a range of soup - "ciorba", a sour soup made from fermented bran, bacon, potatoes and beef or chiken.
" Sarmale " is a spicy dish of bitter cabbage leaves stuffed with meat, and " Mititei " are small grill sausages perfumed with aromatic herbs. A range of excellent white and red Romanian wines of the famous vineyards of Cotnari, Murfatlar, Valea Calugareasca, Odobesti accompany local and international dishes to perfection, while " Tuica " the local plum brandy is often drink as a digestive.

Rumanian Sarmale (stuffed vegetables) 1 lb. ground beef:
1 1/2 lb. ground pork
2 large onions, grated
1 cup white rice 3 Tbsp. Vegeta ( vegetable bouillon base)
2 Tbsp. Sweet Hungarian Paprika
salt and pepper to taste
....For stuffed cabbages:
2 heads of cabbage (frozen overnight and then thawed to soften for rolling)
one large container of sauerkraut (about 28 oz.)
......For stuffed peppers:
8-10 large bell peppers (tops trimmed neatly off and seeds cleaned out, save the lids)
one large can of V8 vegetable cocktail.
Brown meats in dutch oven until fully cooked, breaking up the meat into crumbs while cooking. Add grated onion, rice and spices; continue cooking for another 10 minutes until rice starts to turn opaque, it will not be fully cooked. Remove filling from burner and allow to cool a bit so you don't burn your fingers trying to handle it.
Cabbages: Scoop heaping spoonfuls onto individual cabbage leaves and roll. To roll properly start at the vein side, wrap vein side over the top of the filling, then fold sides over onto filling lump, then continue rolling to edge of leaf and lay edge side down into a large roasting pan. Tuck the cabbage rolls tightly into the pan in a single layer and then add a second layer if needed starting in the middle of the pan so the second layer doesn't get scorched against the outside edge of the pan. Once you have finished with all your cabbage rolls, pour sauerkraut (juice and all) over the top of the rolls. Distribute the sauerkraut evenly over the top, it not only gives flavor but insulates the rolls from the drying heat of the oven.
Peppers: Scoop the filling into the cleaned peppers, patting the filling in so it won't fall out when laid down. Replace lid of pepper on each and lay into roasting pan on their sides, tightly so they help hold each other together while cooking. Once you've filled all your peppers, pour V8 over the top and add water if liquid doesn't come to the top of the peppers.
Cover roaster and bake at 350* for two hours.

Romania Restaurants

Visiting Romania?

Visiting Romania?