Romanian Cuisine for the Winter Holidays
Holiday season or not, I haven’t heard a single soul not like the Romanian cuisine! During the holiday season, you will notice how every Romanian household is preparing the tastiest dishes to impress their guest and to spend quality time with their families. So, I invite you to come along with me as we go on a journey into the world of Romanian food specifically designed for the winter holidays.
Mămăligă [polenta]
My personal favorite comfort food is here to start things off: mămăligă or polenta, which is basically a warm and delightful cornmeal porridge. It goes well with a lot of things, from cheese and sour cream to sarmale, which I will talk about next. Mămăligă is like the best friend of Romanian winter food because it can be used in many ways. Romanian people often eat it instead of bread.
Source: Unsplash
Sarmale [cabbage rolls]
Now, let's talk about sarmale, as this traditional dish goes hand in hand with polenta. Sarmale, translated as cabbage rolls, are the life of every Romanian holiday feast. Think about this: soft cabbage leaves wrapped around a tasty mix of meat, rice, and spices. It tastes great every time you eat it, and the best part is that each family has their own special recipe. I personally like it not only simmered, but cooked a little bit in the stove.
Source: Unsplash
Cozonac [sweet cake]
If you have a sweet tooth, you have to try this Romanian holiday staple—cozonac. It is a sweet bread, always stuffed with all things delicious, such as Turkish delights, nuts, cocoa, and so on. It's the kind of treat you find in every Romanian household during the holidays. It is not so easy to make cozonac, as you need to leave the dough to rise and use some special ingredients, such as yeast.
If you feel adventurous, here is the traditional recipe with walnuts with for you to try. If you do, don’t forget to comment below with a picture of your masterpiece!
[EN] Cozonac recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon or orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
- 1 cup finely ground walnuts
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions:
1. Prepare the yeast mixture
In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
2. Make the dough
In a large bowl, mix together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the yeast mixture, salt, vanilla extract, and citrus zest. Gradually add the flour, mixing well to form a soft dough.
Then, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for about 10-15 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and elastic.
3. Let the dough rise
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
4. Prepare the filling
While the dough is rising, mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cocoa powder, melted butter, cinnamon, and milk to create the filling.
5. Assemble the cozonac
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it in half. Roll out each half into a rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the filling evenly over each rectangle. Roll up each rectangle tightly, pinching the seams to seal.
6. Bake
Place the rolled dough into greased and floured loaf pans. Let it rise for an additional 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Bake the cozonac for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean.
[RO] Reteta cozonac
1. Ingrediente:
- 4 căni de făină albă
- 1 cană de lapte călduț
- 1 cană de zahăr granulat
- 1 cană de unt nesarat, la temperatura camerei
- 4 ouă mari
- 1 linguriță de sare
- Coaja de la 1 lămâie sau portocală
- 1 linguriță de extract de vanilie
- cană de nuci măcinate fin
- 1 cană de zahăr granulat
- 2 linguri de cacao neprelucrată
- 2 linguri de unt topit
- 1 linguriță de scorțișoară măcinată
- 1/2 cană de lapte
Instrucțiuni:
1. Pregătește drojdia
Într-un bol mic, amestecă laptele călduț, 1 lingură de zahăr și 2 linguri de făină. Presară drojdia peste amestec și las-o să stea timp de aproximativ 10 minute, sau până când devine spumoasă.
2. Aluatul
Într-un bol mare, amestecă untul moale și zahărul până când obții o compoziție ușoară și spumoasă. Adaugă ouăle unul câte unul, amestecând bine după fiecare adăugare. Adaugă amestecul de drojdie, sarea, extractul de vanilie și coaja de citrice. Adaugă treptat făina, amestecând bine pentru a forma un aluat moale.
Întinde aluatul pe o suprafață presărată cu făină și frământă-l timp de aproximativ 10-15 minute, sau până când devine neted și elastic.
3. Lasă aluatul să crească
Pune aluatul într-un bol uns cu unt, acoperă-l cu un prosop de bucătărie și lasă-l să crească într-un loc cald timp de 1-2 ore, sau până când se dublează în volum.
4. Pregătește umplutura
În timp ce aluatul crește, amestecă nucile măcinate fin, zahărul, cacaoa, untul topit, scorțișoara și laptele pentru a crea umplutura.
5. Asamblează cozonacul
Odată ce aluatul a crescut, lovește-l pentru a elimina aerul și împarte-l în două. Rulează fiecare jumătate într-un dreptunghi pe o suprafață presărată cu făină. Întinde uniform umplutura pe fiecare dreptunghi. Rulează strâns fiecare dreptunghi, sigilând bine marginile.
6. Coace
Așază aluatul rulat în forme de chec unse și presărate cu făină. Lasă-l să crească încă 30 de minute. Încălzește cuptorul la 180°C. Coace cozonacul timp de 40-45 de minute sau până când devine auriu. Verifică dacă este gata introducând un scobitoare în mijloc; ar trebui să iasă curată.
Source: Cristina Tiris on Pexels
Piftie [jellied meat]
Alright, let's get a bit adventurous with piftie. I know the name doesn't sound like a winter wonder but hear me out. Piftie is a classic dish made of pork and jelly. It might seem strange, but trust me, it's a blast of flavour.
Caltabos [traditional sausage]
Source: Shutterstock
This traditional Romanian sausage is made from ground pork, bacon, garlic, and a mix of spices. It is then left to dry in the air. When the sausage is cooked, it releases a burst of complex flavors. The garlic and spices infuse the meat, making a tasty and fragrant experience that is typical of Romanian holiday food.
Order of serving
The host of a traditional Romanian meal will serve the food in a specific order during the holidays season. First comes the appetizer, often consisting of piftie, caltabos, tomatoes, cheese and some other pork meat. Then, there comes the star of the show: polenta with cabbage rolls. Some families choose to serve polenta with cheese and sour cream first, but most people will bring the polenta along with sarmale. The third dish is pork, often served with baked potatoes. And, because you need to still have room for dessert, finally comes the cozonac, served with some coffee or warm tea.
The most important thing to remember about the Romanian cuisine is that it needs to be enjoyed with the loved ones. Romanian people will often spend the whole day around the beautifully decorated table, bringing in dish after dish.
What do you traditionally eat during the holiday season? Let me know in this discussion topic!
Roxana, OLS Community Manager – Romanian