Southern Dishes

Today’s Cooking Show is about dishes typical of Wallachia, the southern part of Romania, between the Carpathian Mountains and the Danube. Its cuisine reflects its cultural influences, which are rich and varied. We find local versions of Greek, Turkish or Russian and Ukrainian dishes, Bulgarian and Serbian dishes, and the list goes on, topped by the most recent influence, the French influence, arrived here through culinary schools.

Ștefan Baciu, 26.01.2014, 13:31

Today’s Cooking Show is about dishes typical of Wallachia, the southern part of Romania, between the Carpathian Mountains and the Danube. Its cuisine reflects its cultural influences, which are rich and varied. We find local versions of Greek, Turkish or Russian and Ukrainian dishes, Bulgarian and Serbian dishes, and the list goes on, topped by the most recent influence, the French influence, arrived here through culinary schools.

A typical recipe would be meat and vegetable soup, soured up with fermented wheat bran. Take a piece of the meat of your choice, pork, beef or poultry, then your vegetables: a piece of celery root, two roots each of parsnip, root parsley and carrot, peas, a green pepper, a piece of cabbage and a large onion. You also need tomato paste, and the herbs of your choice, parsley, lovage or tarragon, a whole bunch of it, in any case.

In a soup pot, start boiling the cubed meat, skimming it as needed. When the meat is done, take all the vegetables finely cubed and set them to boil. About 15 minutes before the soup is done, put in the tomato paste, the finely chopped herbs, and salt to taste. It is also the time to put in this most important thing in Romanian cuisine, the fermented wheat bran water, which gives soups a unique flavor and sour taste. Serve hot, with a bit of sour cream and fresh green chili pepper. Enjoy!