Romanian

Romanian recipe posts on this blog describe dishes closely associated with Romanian cuisine or that we know originated in Romania.

ciorbă cu coaste afumate

Romanian smoked ribs soup – Ciorbă cu coaste afumate

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Ciorbă cu coaste afumate is a Romanian soup (“chorba”) made with smoked pork ribs and tangy, fermented wheat bran juice (borș). The name literally means ‘sour soup with smoked bones.’ In this post I will show you how to make the ciorbă completely from scratch using homemade borș. There are, of course, shortcuts to get a really good result without having to smoke your own ribs and ferment wheat bran yourself. But first let’s explore this whole class of ciorbă, sour soups, in Romania.

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Romanian smoked ribs soup – Ciorbă cu coaste afumateRead More »

Romanian smoked ribs soup – Ciorbă cu coaste afumate Read More »

Borş

Borş fermented wheat bran gives soup a boost

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Borş fermented wheat bran juice forms the basis of many sour soups in Romanian cuisine. The sour soup containing borş (“borsh”) is usually called a ciorbă (“chorba”). Sometimes people call the soup itself borş. Romanians also consume borş outright for its probiotic and antioxidant properties; people also drink it as a hangover cure, probably due to its anti-inflammatory effects and high concentration of Vitamin B. Less pungent and effervescent than kvass, borş nevertheless shares a similar production method and purpose.

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Borş fermented wheat bran gives soup a boostRead More »

Borş fermented wheat bran gives soup a boost Read More »

Making mamaliga with cheese

Mămăligă cu brânză – Romanian baked mamaliga with cheese

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Mamaliga with cheese (Mămăligă cu brânză) is a baked polenta with feta cheese very popular in Romania and elsewhere in the Balkans. Baking isn’t necessary; you could prepare fresh polenta and layer it with cheese, then more polenta. People often serve mamaliga with poached or over-easy eggs, chunky tomato sauce or sour cream. You can eat it any time of day even though it sounds like a breakfast dish.

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Mămăligă cu brânză – Romanian baked mamaliga with cheeseRead More »

Mămăligă cu brânză – Romanian baked mamaliga with cheese Read More »

Ciulama de pui creamed Romanian chicken

Ciulama de pui- Romanian chicken fricassee

3 Comments / Romanian /

Like many dishes on the Balkan peninsula, Romanian ciulama de pui (pronounced “choolahmuh”) has its origins in Turkish cuisine although the Turkish version (çullama) is something altogether different, referring more to a fried filled dough. Ciulama for the Romanian cook indicates the thick, rich creamy sauce in which the meat is cooked. Our version uses chicken but it could also be made with duck, veal, organ meat or just mushrooms. Using my method I was able to accommodate people who love and those who loathe mushrooms. Traditionally this dish is served with polenta or mamaliga.

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Ciulama de pui- Romanian chicken fricasseeRead More »

Ciulama de pui- Romanian chicken fricassee Read More »