Moldavian Cuisine

Moldavia is a small country situated in Eastern Europe and it borders Romania to the west and Ukraine to the North, South and East. Moldova is a rich country with fertile soil; the favorable natural and climatic situation favors to the growth of grapes, fruits and numerous vegetables which bring a unique flavor in Moldavian cuisine. Moldavian cuisine maintained some influences along with time passing by; you can find some Greek elements, like placinte or invartite, Mediterranean characteristics such as yeast, vegetable oils, spicy sauces, preparing food with wine; Turkish influences are shown by the tendency to prepare mutton meat; and all these influences improved the Moldavian cuisine. Traditional cuisine of Moldavia is based on crop such as corn, Wheat, rice, potatoes and other cereals; as for meat people from Moldavia prefer poultry, Pork and Beef meat; fish is very rarely used in Moldavian cuisine.

By Geographic Area and Style:

This north eastern region of Romania has had Russia as a neighbor and occupier throughout its history, and Russian influences are often noticed. The traditional bors is a creamy soup made out of tomatoes, and although it is not solely prepared in Moldova, it is most popular here. Other dishes like “parjoale” - dumplings containing Veal meat, onions and garlic are also very popular in this region. Other interesting dishes, such as “poale-n brau” are relatively unknown in the other Romanian regions and are mostly appreciated in Moldova. Moldavian cuisine is also famous for its precise and clear taste. The use of cream, or light sources prepared with a little bit of flour is characteristic for most of the dishes in Moldova.

People from Moldavia prepare many dishes using corn. The traditional Moldavian dish called mamaliga is made of water, salt and corn flour. The corn is also used in soups and garnishes, it is boiled and baked. The vegetables play an important role in Moldavian cuisine. Garnishes and independent dishes are prepared from them. Vegetables are often boiled, baked, stuffed, stewed and salted, and rarely fried. The most appreciated vegetables in Moldavian cuisine are green beans, Lentil, tomatoes, sweet pepper, eggplants, vegetable marrows, potatoes, onions and garlic. People from Moldavia also consume a lot of milk products like yoghurt, milk cream, cheese in various forms and animal products such as eggs. In the eastern side of Moldavia, cabbage pies is the most common dish, cabbage pies are prepared after a Slavic method of salting and souring.