The food of Romania is diverse. Food choices and cooking styles are influenced by Balkan traditions as well as German, Hungarian, Turkish, Russian and those of the Near East which includes Israel, Palestine, Jordon, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Some of the traditional Romanian dishes are stuffed cabbage leaves known in the Romanian language as sarmale. Other vegetables cooked and served are stuffed bell peppers (ardei umpluti); green beans (fasole verde); carrots sote (sote de morcovi); roasted peppers (ardei copti); eggplant salad (salata de vinete); and tomato salad (salata de rosii). Potatoes are popular in Romania and are served very often. They are cheap to buy and are sold everywhere in the fall, both in markets and along the streets and highways in front of private homes. There are vegetables and fruits of all kinds and many of them are raised in the country itself.

Pork and lamb are preferred over beef in Romania and pork fat is used for cooking. For Christmas a pig is traditionally butchered by every family and a variety of recipes are used to prepare the meat. One of the popular dishes made from the liver and intestines of the pork is a long sausage called carnati. Another dish is piftie which is made from the feet, head, and the ears and is suspended in aspic. I have seen most of the country and in my travels around I have seen many more sheep and pigs grazing in fields than cattle. Romanians love spicy meatballs made from a mixture of pork and beef. Ghiveci is a Romanian dish which combines meat and vegetables and is baked. Other meat dishes include skewered meat (frigarui); cow tongue with olives (limba cu masline); grilled mince meat rolls (mititei); and chicken cutlet (snitel). At Easter roast lamb is served and also a cooked mixture of intestines, meat, and fresh vegetables called drob in Romanian. Fish from the Danube River and scad from the Black Sea is very important to Romanians. Pollution has widely affected the fishing industry in Eastern Europe and eating fish is not as popular as it once was.

Soups, especially bean soup, is served hot in the winter in Romania and cold soup made with cucumber, yogurt, and walnuts and known as tarator, is made in the summer. Lovage, an unusual herb tasting like celery, is used in Romanian cooking, especially in lamb soup. Soups are usually soured with lemon juice or a dash of vinegar.

Different breads are very popular in Romanian culture and there are many interesting varieties. Cooked cornmeal (mamaliga) is traditional in all of Eastern Europe and is considered the poor man’s dish and is a Romanian specialty. It is used with meat or cheese and is called polenta in Italy. It is cooked so long to be thickened and when done can be sliced like bread.

Cheeses of all kinds are very popular with the Romanian people. The generic name for cheese in Romania is branza. Most of the cheese is made from cow or sheep milk.

Desserts are usually crepes filled with fruits or cherry streudel. Other desserts in Romania include baclava, which is sweet layered pastry; sponge cake known as pandispan; rice pudding or orez cu lapte; and gingerbread or turta dulce.

When visiting homes anywhere in Romania the people are friendly and warm and always there is an invitation to share their food.

A member of the European Union since 2007, Romania is a country of almost 92,000 square miles roughly the same as the UK, but with a population of only 22 million people. People in most parts of the world seem to know very little about Romania these days. Either they have no idea about its location on the atlas, or they have heard something about terrible happenings in the country.

Now, there is a little bit of truth in these wild reactions, but only just. That picture is a very old one, and needs to be updated immediately. Romania today has many things that can be said in its favor, things that will completely transform you negative impression of the country. First, Romania is a South East European country that is blessed with incomparable scenic beauty. The diversity in its geography must be seen to be believed.

The beauty of Romania is evident from the towering arc of the Carpathian Mountains in the North West to the serene Black Sea coast and the mouth of the Danube in the East. Romania has everything from the sunny hills and undulating vineyards of Moldavia to the great fertile plains of Walachia, drained by gurgling streams and rivers with clear water. It is a land of natural beauty and diversity that can truly leave a foreign visitor spellbound.

Take for example the Black Sea Coast. It has a large number of modern resorts with their architecture completely in tune with the natural surroundings. This non intrusive style of building can be seen in many big cities too. Incidentally, Romania has a population of over 22 million at the last count.

Bucharest, the capital city of Romania and a vibrant metropolis, holds its own charms for the foreign tourist.Brasov and Sibiu are other interesting cities, with the last one being considered the cultural capital of the country. Not only the big cities, but every single province in Romania has something special to draw the foreign visitor.

Oltenia in the South is famed for the exquisite quality of its carpets and embroidery. Maramures is renowned for its wooden sculptures. Bucovina is a land of quaint traditions from the past. And if you are interested in history, Dobrogea is where you will find the ancient ruins.

Perhaps the most well known region of Romania is Transylvania with its mysterious legend. The legend of Dracula, the vampire king, has Transylvania as its backdrop. It can be traced back to the times of Vlad the Impaler, the merciless tyrant, who ruled briefly between the years 1456 and 1462. His favourite form of punishment for his subjects was impaling them for disloyalty or any other crime.

The barbarity and cruelty involved in such a mode of punishment induced the gullible people of the time to think that no human being was capable of such brutality. They, therefore, came to the conclusion that it must be the handiwork of a creature from hell. The bloodiness associated with the punishment also contributed to the legend of a vampire, which sustained itself on human blood. The seat of power of this king was in the Bran castle in Brasov county of Transylvania. It is a very popular tourist destination, and you can visit it for a hair-raising experience.

Now it is not just the evil from the past that you will find in Romania, but the holy as well. Romania is famous for its monasteries, especially in Northern Moldavia. The secluded monasteries will give you a taste of the peace of mind that is so rare in the fast life today. The peace and quiet of these monasteries will fill your mind with sacred joy and rid you of your sorrows and cares. Take some holy water and pray there, or just enjoy the serene and beautiful landscape.

Romania is a place sometimes shrouded in mystery, a country that inspired the Count Dracula story and where many legends live on in the untouched countryside. It is also a modern, dynamic country keen to embrace the outside world. Few countries in Europe are as individual as Romania. That was a very brief outline of the treasures you can find in the beautiful country that is Romania. Now that you have an idea of what to expect, you can visit the country for a fantastic experience.