Onion Soup

In early autumn, the locality of Pericei, in western Romania’s Salaj county becomes a genuine tourist attraction as for quite a few years now, Pericei has been playing host to the Onion Festival. Apart from the economic benefits of onion cultivation, the locals of Pericei enjoy the attention they get from visitors who are anxious to see for themselves how onions can be prepared. Worth mentioning at this point is the fact that as a tourist destination, the growing interest Pericei has enjoyed is provided by the onion cultures here, which have been twice mentioned in the Book of World Records.

Ștefan Baciu, 15.10.2017, 11:41

In early autumn, the locality of Pericei, in western Romania’s Salaj county becomes a genuine tourist attraction as for quite a few years now, Pericei has been playing host to the Onion Festival. Apart from the economic benefits of onion cultivation, the locals of Pericei enjoy the attention they get from visitors who are anxious to see for themselves how onions can be prepared. Worth mentioning at this point is the fact that as a tourist destination, the growing interest Pericei has enjoyed is provided by the onion cultures here, which have been twice mentioned in the Book of World Records.

At the inaugural edition of the Festival in 2007, farmers in Pericei braided an onion rope, 4,518 meters long, using no more than 45 thousand onions. The Onion Monument, which was also unveiled at that time, consists of an emerald-yellowish onion bulb 4.5 meters tall made of glass fiber and synthetic resin and covered in copper plate. The whole monument, pedestal included, stays at 6.5 meters tall. It was the second record included in the Guiness Book for “the tallest monument dedicated to the onion”.

In Pericei, the onion is the staple ingredient used in the preparation of certain dishes. On Saint Ignatius’ day, when the ritual pig slaughter is observed before Christmas, the onion soups replaces the cabbage soup, which is traditionally served in that part of Transylvania. To prepare it, use a pot to bring to the boil several slices of pork. After you have removed the scum with the skimmer, pour around one and a half kilo of Julienne-cut onion, which should be enough for six courses. Towards the end add a little bit of salt and a little bit of finely chopped parsley. Season the soup with a little bit of sour cream. You can replace the pork with chicken.

Onion can also be used to prepare a quick snack. For that, you can use a couple of finely sliced onion you then salt and stew in oil a little bit. Spice it with a bit of pepper, then serve it on a slice of bread. There’s another onion-based dish you can prepare. Mix the stewed onion with mushrooms, two tablespoons of flour, with a couple of garlic cloves and with a little bit of sour milk.

The onion thick sauce, also known as “martasul de ceapa” in Romanian, is another staple onion-based dish, prepared in Pericei. It is very simple to prepare. Dip a couple of onions in hot oil, add two or three tablespoons of flour, pour one or two spoonfuls of tomato juice so as to make a cream, then add a bit of pepper and salt to taste.

And if you think of a desert, you can imagine that onion is even used to prepare sweet preserves.

Enjoy!