If we had to identify an iconic food for Romania, then ciorba (sour soup) would definitely be the ideal choice.
You will find it in most restaurants, even in those that are not traditional, but have adapted their menu to market demands. For us, soup is the first course of the meal. Generally, appetizers are for festive occasions or long lunches.
The main meal of the day consists of a soup and a second course, then possibly dessert. Most soups are sour and for that we use a long list of ingredients: borsh (fermented bran broth – not to be confused with Ukrainian borscht, which is a beetroot soup), moare (sauerkraut broth), vinegar, lemon, sour cream, unripe fruits (sour grapes, cherry plums, blackberries) etc. We garnish them with parsley, dill, lemongrass or pickled tarragon. Bread is never missing next to the soup and hot pepper or raw onion and some sour cream next to it completes the meal*.
We have hundreds of different recipes and use all meats and all vegetables in various combinations. In general, in restaurants you will find about ten types of soups – national recipes – from all the regions of the country: beef or pork belly soup, beef soup, chicken soup á la Greque, Rădăuți soup (a kind of belly soup, but with chicken instead of tripe), smoked beans soup, fish borsht, vegetable soup, goulash (soup) and chicken soup with noodles or semolina dumplings. We will detail each of them in other articles.
There are restaurants specialized in this dish (such as Ciorbăria or Zama) and there are restaurants that have a ciorba tasting menu (La Mama).
Depending on the region, you will encounter different specificities: in the east and south they are sourer, in Transylvania and Banat they are sweeter and with more cream.
Enjoy your ciorba!
*usually bread, hot pepper or cream are not included in the price and you will find them in a separate category of the menu.
Photo:
Ciorba © Sebalos | Dreamstime.com;
