Top 10 Delicious Romanian Food To Try Out Today!

Original blog post: https://ling-app.com/ro/romanian-food/

Nothing gets me more excited than the thought of trying out new delicacies during vacation. Oh my! Yum! My tastebud starts dancing just at the thought of new and unique spices and flavors that I can explore. (Did I hear you say ‘me too!’?) If I guessed correctly, you are reading this article because you want to discover different types of Romanian food you can try in Romania! And trust me, Romania has a lot of unique and mouth-watering food that will make you drool.

So, get ready as we explore the best dishes (from appetizers to desserts) you must try out in the country. I hope your mouth doesn’t get watery before the end of this article. To organize your reading experience, I’ve divided the dishes into three main course meals; appetizer, main dish, and dessert. Let’s get started!

Appetizer

Salată De Boeuf

If you love meat, gather here! (Sorry vegetarians, we still have some cool dishes just for you). Salată de Boeuf, which means beef salad, is a Romanian food often used as a starter, but nothing stops it from being the main dish. It is often made with beef, although you can use any meat of your choice. The meat is finely chopped and boiled, then mixed with potatoes, eggs, and other vegetables like murături and root vegetables.

After that, it is mixed with mayonnaise or mustard to add some texture and then shaped into a dome and covered with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Trust me; this starter is so delicious that you may be tempted to return for more. However, this is usually prepared during the holidays.

Salată De Vinete

This eggplant salad or dip is also a popular dish in Romania, and it is popular during the summertime when you can find fresh eggplants. (I told you, dear vegetarians, there is something for you). One thing I love about this dish is its easy preparation with few ingredients.

All you need is your roasted eggplant, salt, lemon juice, sunflower oil, and some garlic. The soft texture and unique flavor give it that addictive edge. Well, if you don’t mind how it looks at first glance, then you will definitely love Salată de Vinete. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This starter can make you come back for more.

Ardei Umpluţi

When you eat this as a starter or after a Romanian soup depends on you, but what I know is that if you are looking for a starter with a mixture of different flavors that sends your tastebud into complete confusion and ecstasy at the same time, you should try out this Romanian stuffed peppers dish.

ARdei Umpluţi is mainly bell peppers stuffed with different herbs, spices, and vegetables like carrots, ground meat, onion, rice, carrots, cheese, and what have you. In fact, depending on where you go in Romania, you will find different fillings. These bell peppers are then boiled in a tomato sauce to give them that extra taste. Sour cream or yogurt should be added to give it that final mouth-watering taste. I don’t need to say much. Try it out!

Varză Călită

This dish is interesting if you love cabbage rolls or cabbage stew. Varză Călită, also known as stewed cabbage, is another great starter to try out. It consists of simmered cabbage with some potatoes, onions, garlic tomato paste, and other extras.

Main Dish

So, let’s move to the main dishes you should try out in Romania

Mămăligă

Let’s start with a traditional Romanian dish you likely find in any restaurant. Mămăligă is a type of Romanian porridge made from ingredients such as corn meal, water, sunflower, salt, and other additions. It is one of the famous traditional Romanian dishes you should also try out. Mămăligă solidifies, so it is usually served with sour cream and fresh Romanian cheese. Alternatively, it can be crushed into a bowl filled with milk.

Ciorbă De burta

Either you immensely love this next dish, or you don’t. Also known as tripe soup, ciorbă de burta is a traditional Romanian food that has won the heart of many Romanian. It is also considered the ultimate hangover food because of its spicy and watery nature. NThetripe soup is made from the stomach of an intestine, but it doesn’t smell like that. It combines herbs, spices, garlic, sour cream, carrot, and other ingredients to give it that unique taste.

You may not like the taste at first, but after the second and third attempts, you will have to consciously decide that you don’t want to take it every day. The tripe soup is best served with hot chili pepper and sour cream.

Ciorbă De perisoare

I am a meat lover; if you are too, you will love this soup. Also known as the Romanian meatball soup, Ciorbă de perisoare is usually made with meatballs of any kind, whether turkey, chicken, or meatballs. The meatballs are cooked in a soup broth containing various vegetables, eggs, and tomato paste. You will notice its strong flavor and spices, which can positively overwhelm your taste bud.

Fasole Cu Ciolan Afumat

The famous traditional Romanian food made with pork and meat is another cuisine to try out! This food is most enjoyed when steaming hot and can fill you after a few spoons. It is made with dried beans, pork, onions, seasonings and herbs, tomato paste, paprika, and other additions. You should give this delicacy a try.

Sarmale

Also known as Romanian cabbage rolls, Sarmale is a dish that is unique to the Romanians and other Balkan countries. So, do not be surprised when you find Sarmele in Serbia, Ukraine, or Turkey. This dish is mainly made with cabbage wrapped around different kinds of fillings. The filling is usually minced meat, rice, onions, mushrooms, etc. There are different fillings depending on the restaurant and country you visit. The cabbage rolls are then simmered in tomato juice. Sarmale is best served with Romanian Polenta, sour cream, and bread.

Dessert

Pasca

Pasca is a Romanian dessert bread that is usually baked during the easter period and made with sweet cheese fillings. It gives you that sweet, melty, and crunchy taste simultaneously. You bite a thin layer of bread texture and then burst into another melty word of cheese and raisins. Overall, Pasca is a must-try.

Cozonac

One bread you must try out during your stay in Romania is Cozonac. This traditional Romanian sweet bread is also made during Easter and Christmas, but you can find it in a pastry shop. Although it is bread, it has this cake sweetness, and you may confuse it with cake bread. You should try Cozonac with a warm glass of milk or coffee. Oh my!

Are You Ready To Try Them Out?

I wanted to keep going on and on, but then we will both get hungry. Romanian dishes are undoubtedly rich and tasty. So, the next time you travel to Romania, you can definitely try out these dishes if you are in Romania now. However, you also need to know some basic phrases like greetings, how to introduce yourself, or even show affection in the Romanian language. If you want to take it a step further and learn the Romanian language thoroughly, the Ling App will help you.

Learn Romanian With Ling

The Ling App is a language learning platform with the necessary features to run a language beginner into a fluent speaker in a short period. You get access to daily grammar lessons that move from essential words and phrases to advanced sentences, intuitive quizzes, exercises, an AI chatbot to practice your speaking and conversational skills, and loads of resources available.

So, what are you waiting for? Download the Ling App on Playstore and Appstore today!