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Romanian Recipes

40 recipes

Romanian cooking sits where Central European, Balkan and Ottoman traditions meet, and you can taste all three on one table. Corn arrived centuries ago and became mămăligă, the polenta served with almost everything. Pork is the most common meat, especially in winter, when families cure sausages and bacon before Christmas. Sour flavors run through the cuisine: soups are soured with borș (fermented wheat bran) or lemon, cabbage is pickled whole for sarmale, and jars of pickled vegetables fill pantries every autumn. Summer brings grilled mici, garden vegetables and smoky eggplant salad, while the Orthodox fasting periods have produced a long list of meatless dishes built on beans, mushrooms and vegetables. Dairy matters too, from salty sheep cheese to sour cream spooned onto soups and dumplings. Desserts lean on walnuts, poppy seeds, sweet cheese and yeasted doughs, with cozonac baked for Easter and Christmas.

Staple ingredients

Breakfast

Appetizers

Soups

Salads

Main Dishes

Side Dishes

Breads

Desserts

Snacks

Drinks

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

Pickles and Preserves

Common questions

What is Romanian food known for?

Hearty, sour-leaning dishes: sarmale (cabbage rolls), ciorbă (sour soups), mici (grilled minced meat rolls) and mămăligă (polenta), plus sweet breads like cozonac. Pork, sour cream and fresh herbs such as dill and lovage appear often.

What is the national dish of Romania?

There is no official one, but sarmale served with mămăligă and sour cream is the dish most Romanians would name. It appears at Christmas, weddings and family celebrations.

Is Romanian food spicy?

Not usually. Heat comes on the side, as a fresh or pickled hot pepper eaten with soups and stews. Most of the flavor comes from sourness, smoke, garlic and herbs rather than chili.