Radio România Internațional

Tag: bread

  • Stories on a biscuit

    Stories on a biscuit

    The habit of gifting away and receiving
    presents dates from time immemorial. Offering a present can be an utterly
    rewarding habit, in that it enables you to see, in the eyes of the recipient, the
    joy of having received that little something they most wanted for themselves. That
    little something could be a little surprise as well. However, there are people
    who loathe looking for a present…they fear they might pick up something
    unsuitable. However, in either case, there is a growing number of options when
    it comes to picking up inspired, ready-made and minutely-crafted presents. And,
    when you yourself choose to manufacture products that can be offered as a present,
    you’re sure to become a goblin of joy. It was the very intention that spurred a
    young creator based in Bucharest, Raluca Matei, to prepare a couple of painted biscuits
    for her daughter to take to the nursery school as March amulets.


    The initiative was regaled with a huge welcome. Which prompted our
    guest today to create stories on a biscuit, a brand she told us more about.


    Raluca Matei:


    It’s about ginger bread, actually. The story on
    biscuits did kick off, but little by little we remained on ginger bread because
    we eventually created a very good recipe. It is soft and fluffy and strongly flavoured.
    Clients adored it and that is why
    we focused on ginger bread. We started off from March amulets for my girl in
    the nursery school. And we still had a demand for that, afterwards. And we prepared
    all sorts of presents for celebrations, flower bunches, presents for
    physicians, for teachers, for children, for the grownup, for grandparents, for
    everybody.


    And, one fine produce after the next, Raluca
    and her stories on a biscuit are now four years old, and brimming with optimism
    for the future. Each and every life is a story in own right and each celebration
    or anniversary can tell part of that story, so we felt entitled to ask Raluca Matei
    what the stories were, that she told on a biscuit.


    Everyone have
    their own story. People offer presents to their nearest and dearest, to friends,
    so we stick only to that particular person’s hobbies and pleasures. They provide
    several elements, several ideas we then combine, and a story comes out of that
    in the long run, as things are connected and what comes out speaks about the recipient
    of that present, spot on.


    Raluca Matei told us how far the story of the stories on biscuits
    has got.


    We succeeded to open a laboratory, there’s five of
    us, five girls we’re at it, we’re a team we hope to carry forward and enlarge
    as much as possible. We expanded countrywide, we even reached as far as Europe.
    We sent very many presents. Presents, all made of ginger bread: flowers, anniversary
    boxes, puzzles, weddings, baptizing, first-anniversary testimonials, we even replaced
    the flatbread that is traditionally torn above the new-born’s head on the first-lock
    haircut ceremony, we replaced it with gingerbread which is decorated with the theme
    of the event. Everything is handmade, it is painted. So there is nothing serial
    about its manufacturing. Everything is handmade, according to the client’s
    request, with food colouring, which goes for absolutely every topic. People even
    had us mix all sorts of themes, from kitchen, with coffee, with passion, absolutely
    everything, characters in cartoons, in movies, landscapes, anything.


    Little hearts decorated with locks, with keys, flowers, petals, flowers,
    leaves, ginger bread in the shape of little stones painted in the fission of a
    March amulet, or decorated on the Halloween, with orange pumpkins and magician’s
    hats, basket made of coloured ginger bread flowers, or it could be just flowers
    that seem real, wrapped in a savoury bunch, all that can be found in the offer of
    the workshop.


    The themed ginger bread presents are in high demand, so orders need
    to be placed well in advance, so that prospective recipients can have the
    guarantee orders are being delivered right on the set date.

    Raluca Matei:

    Our clients already know they need to place their
    orders two or three months in advance, if they want to book a place. The very
    large, complex bunches, with lots of flowers, with messages, they usually say I
    Love You or Happy Anniversary or well-wishing words, for children we have cartoon
    characters, for the grown-ups we have all sorts of items depicting the hobby of
    celebrating and an original and a very special bunch is thus formed. We believe
    there’s something special and unique about what we do and we’re waiting for you
    to place your orders, so we can delight you with the taste, as it’s the taste
    we first and foremost pursue, while the design comes after that.

    Therefore, whether you opt for making the most of an ordinary celebration, the March Amulet, the Women’s Day, whether you wish to surprise your nearest and dearest with a well-wishing thought uttered differently, now you have the perfect opportunity to give life a lot more taste and a lot more colour! (EN)





  • I Eat Bread When I Want To

    I Eat Bread When I Want To

    Romanians have had an emotional and sensitive relationship with bread. If, in the famines after wars, they would have given anything for a piece of bread, now, in full consumerist mode, they have higher expectations from it. Also, back in the sad days of the Ceausescu dictatorship, black bread was considered under par. Now we look for it, because nutritionists told us it is good for you. However, we have another problem: black bread is full of coloring agents. We no longer know if it is healthier, or if it makes you fatter. No matter what they read on the Internet, Romanians love bread and would not have a meal without it.




    We spoke to fitness trainer Andrei Neagu, who told us that we would do better to try and avoid it. Is bread good for us or not? Andrei Neagu answers:


    “This is a question that I encounter a lot in my fitness gym. I get asked by my clients, people who go to the gym often, or just people who want an answer. There is no such thing as good or less good bread. It is just a product which, nutritionally, doesnt help us in any way, be it for putting on muscle mass, for losing weight, for maintaining tone… it doesnt. Why? Because of its high glycemic index, which is fairly high. For instance, glucose has about 100, bread has about 70. First of all, think about what can a product offer you when it costs 30 or 40 Eurocents for about half a kilo. What could that product contain? Thats the first question you have to ask yourself.”




    You have probably noticed that bread you buy doesnt go moldy, even a few days after purchase. Andrei Neagu explained how the fabrication process affects the finite product:


    “This is another good question, about the process of production. Well, at home you can put in it whatever you wish. You have many options: you can make it worth 5 lei, make it worth 20 lei, or 30, from 1 Euro to 6. You have rye, whole wheat, rice, barley, you can add seeds, chia, whatever you want. However, in the industrial area, think about the fact that, in a proportion of 70 to 80%, bread factories use additives, ready-made mixes, they use stabilizers, otherwise the bread wouldnt be puffy or mold free on the fourth or fifth day. Which is not normal for a piece of bread or any other product that is made of flour of any kind, white, black, or any other kind.”




    Sourdough is very fashionable. Internet marketing campaigns, some of them very clever, have slowly influenced the collective impression that sourdough would be superior, nutritionally, to yeast bread. In fact, this is not so. Neither is better than the other, according to Andrei Neagu:


    “This issue with sourdough is very much discussed. But, to be honest, sourdough is an agent for fermentation. We, the people either in this industry, of fitness, or any other one, although I am speaking strictly of my area, they all try to find workarounds, shortcuts, something to offer them comfort and pleasure. I cannot deny it, you cant have eggplant salad or tarama salad without bread, it cant be done. At the same time, we look for more pompous things, more unusual, but the process is the same, the nutritional value is the same, it by no way means one kilo more or less, or a radical change in the body, or things of this nature. It is the same process, be it sourdough or yeast.”




    Andrei Neagu believes that Romanians need better nutrition education. He points out that none of the food options we have are without serious consequences on the body.


    “We Romanians have no nutritional education whatsoever. What the Internet offers today, a huge range to search in, so you can learn by yourself, but you really dont want to do that. Why? Because bread is something that offers pleasure. Which is why it creates addiction. In some cases, at least. It excites the brain and relaxes it. Why? Because of that high glycemic index. Which why we, Romanians, cannot give it up. We dont have a target. We lack the wish to do something about it. We keep on going, we have the premise You only live once, I want to eat, drink, have a good time.” But, when the body can no longer cope, and you get to the doctor, then it will be very difficult. Type 2 diabetes, for instance. That is when you have to give up white bread, you will not longer be allowed to eat a lot of things.”




    Bread slows down the body and cognitive activity. The blood sugar level can send you to the doctor. In essence, bread should not be a part of every day food. Here is Andrei Neagu:


    “Yes, bread puts on weight, of any kind it may be. Be it whole wheat, white, with all kinds of seeds. Yes, bread makes you fat. And I am saying that from the perspective of a high performing athlete, I say it as a trainer, I say it as a person who wanted to make a change, who had severe rickets, and bread didnt help me. Even though I eat a lot, I am a foodie, I usually prefer chicken breast, broccoli and rice, to the detriment of a couple of slices of bread. I am sure it would feed my brain, that it would be pleasing, but the body wont respond properly to the daily activities I have, to the effort I make, the training I do. I mean, any activities I have at the gym or outside of it. Bread brings no benefit to my body.”


  • Severe drought in Romania

    Severe drought in Romania

    In 2015, Romania was launching a programme to revamp its old irrigation system. It was an ambitious 5-year programme targeting a total surface area of around 2 million hectares by the end of 2020.



    However, at present only about 850,000 hectares are irrigable, and the programme was extended several years. In other words, only 10% of the countrys total farm area can be irrigated.



    Even so, farmers have only filed applications for around 100,000 hectares, says the line minister Adrian Oros. The situation is dramatic, because although Romania takes pride in its fertile land, its agriculture continues to rely heavily on the weather.



    And it has hardly rained at all in Romania over the past few months, there was little to no snow during the winter, and the consequences are increasingly evident.



    According to centralised data, in April we had 7 litres of precipitation per square metre, as opposed to an average of 53 litres.



    In short, Romania is facing a drought described by Minister Adrian Oros as “strong and extreme, as we havent seen in recent years.



    The worst situation in reported in Dobrogea, Bărăgan and Moldavia, that is in the south-east, south and east of the country. Here is how Nicolae Moraru, the mayor of a village in the east, describes the situation:



    Nicolae Moraru: “There are farmers in difficult positions, who own 400 – 500 hectares each and incur substantial expenses. They are threatened by bankruptcy. They have used their land, property, homes as collaterals. The situation is disastrous in our region.



    According to the Agriculture Ministry, 3 million hectares under crops since autumn are already destroyed. The rape, wheat, rye and barley crops are the most affected. Many farmers already warn that bread will be more expensive this autumn, although authorities argue that it is too soon to tell.



    In an interview to a private TV channel, minister Adrian Oros explained that even if half of the crops were destroyed, the domestic demand would still be covered:



    Adrian Oros: “It is much too soon. What happens in Europe and in the rest of the world is also important. During the good years, when it rained enough, Romanias wheat yield was 7, 8 or even 9 million tons of wheat, and we only use around 2 and a half to 3 million tons. The same for maize, the yield was 14-15 million tons, and the maximum demand in Romania is 7 million tons. So even if half the crops were destroyed, the domestic demand would still be covered.



    Weather experts bring us a piece of good news: on Friday they expect rain across the country. But the precipitation amount is not likely to be very large—an average of 10 litres per square metre.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Going shopping

    Going shopping




    Going shopping every day
    provides a good opportunity to practise basic Romanian, especially if you want
    to develop conversational exchange skills, if you need to buy food and drink.
    So today it’s a bunch of food and drink words you’ll be exposed to, in the
    hopes that you’ll be quick to acquire functional Romanian.


    As usual, we begin
    with a series of useful words and expressions:


    Brinza=cheese


    Cafea=coffee


    Carne=meat


    Cirnat=sausage


    Legume=vegetables


    Ou=egg



    Piine=bread

    Proaspat=fresh

    Salata=salad


    Sandvis=sandwich


    Sare=salt


    Suc=juice


    Unt=butter


    Vin=wine


    Now let us use
    some of the words and expressions in meaningful sentences:


    You can
    buy fresh vegetables for a reasonable
    price close to the place I live.


    Poti sa
    cumperi legume proaspete aproape de zona unde locuiesc eu.


    A strong
    coffee in the morning really gets me going.


    O cafea
    tare dimineata este intr-adevar revigoranta.


    Bread and
    butter used to be the staple food in our grandparents’ time.


    Pinea cu
    unt era mincarea de baza pe vremea bunicilor nostri.


    When I was a kid,
    my grandmother used to prepare a tomato-and-cheese sandwich for me to take to
    school.


    Cind eram copil,
    bunica imi pregatea un sandvis cu rosii si brinza pe care il luam cu mine la
    scoala.


  • Going shopping

    Going shopping




    Going shopping every day
    provides a good opportunity to practise basic Romanian, especially if you want
    to develop conversational exchange skills, if you need to buy food and drink.
    So today it’s a bunch of food and drink words you’ll be exposed to, in the
    hopes that you’ll be quick to acquire functional Romanian.


    As usual, we begin
    with a series of useful words and expressions:


    Brinza=cheese


    Cafea=coffee


    Carne=meat


    Cirnat=sausage


    Legume=vegetables


    Ou=egg



    Piine=bread

    Proaspat=fresh

    Salata=salad


    Sandvis=sandwich


    Sare=salt


    Suc=juice


    Unt=butter


    Vin=wine


    Now let us use
    some of the words and expressions in meaningful sentences:


    You can
    buy fresh vegetables for a reasonable
    price close to the place I live.


    Poti sa
    cumperi legume proaspete aproape de zona unde locuiesc eu.


    A strong
    coffee in the morning really gets me going.


    O cafea
    tare dimineata este intr-adevar revigoranta.


    Bread and
    butter used to be the staple food in our grandparents’ time.


    Pinea cu
    unt era mincarea de baza pe vremea bunicilor nostri.


    When I was a kid,
    my grandmother used to prepare a tomato-and-cheese sandwich for me to take to
    school.


    Cind eram copil,
    bunica imi pregatea un sandvis cu rosii si brinza pe care il luam cu mine la
    scoala.


  • Dried Bean Dishes

    Dried Bean Dishes

    Dired beans is a majort ingredient in Romanian cooking, especially during the cold season. You can make a traditional soup, sometimes served in a hollowed out oversized bread bun. You can also make a cream of beans. Irrespective of your choice, most ingredients overlap in the recipes. Take a quarter of a kilo of dried beans, about half a pound, 3 carrots, one onion, bay leaves and thyme, as well as tomato paste or juice. You can also add meat, preferably smoked pork, such as ribs or ham.



    Soak the beans overnight. The following day set them to boil, and when they reach a rolling boil change the water and continue cooking them. Add the sliced carrots, the finely chopped onion, the bay leaves, and, optionally, the finely cubed smoked meat of your choice, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add tomato juice or paste, a tablespoon or two, and a bit of thyme, then simmer for another quarter of an hour. Add a souring agent, such as fermented bran or vinegar, then add salt to taste. You can serve it in a hollowed out bread bun. You can turn the soup into cream of beans by using a hand held blender. In that case, it is recommended you also add parsnip.



    Bean stew is another winter favorite. Its preparation is similar to that of soup, but using less water. Take half a kilo of dried beans, two or three onions, a carrot, bay leaves, oil, tomato paste, salt and pepper, and fresh parsley. After boiling the beans, sweat the onion in a bit of vegetable oil. Add it to the beans, along with tomato paste and salt to taste, with the chopped parsley. The bean stew goes traditionally with fried sausages and mixed pickles. Just as you would with the soup, you can add smoked meats. It is a hearty winter preparation. Enjoy!



  • Clay Pot Baking

    Clay Pot Baking

    Claypot baked bread is typical of the region of Oltenia, in southern Romania, and its history goes way back millennia, as it is still made as the ancient Dacian population used to make millet, oat and wheat cakes inside a clay pot placed upside down on a hot bakestone. The method was used during the Roman colonization, then later in the Middle Ages, and the recipe has been passed down from one generation to another down to this very day. In fact, the Romanian word for this type of baking, tzest, comes from the Latin testum, which means turtle shell and suggests the shape of the clay pot.



    Baking bread this way was rather common all across the Balkans. As compared to the oven, which is larger, the tzest has the advantage of reaching the right temperature faster and not needing wood for the fire, only twigs and vegetable remains of sun-flower, corn or other types of dried vegetation. Another advantage is that the method can be used not only to bake bread, but also to cook meat and vegetable dishes.



    Before telling you how to make this type of bread, we should first say that this mobile oven would be built, according to tradition, only on the Ropotin day, a feast celebrated on the third Tuesday after Easter, or, according to other local customs, on the first three days of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday after Easter. Making these clay-pot ovens was a ritual, and its main aim was to keep away the hail storms that could have damaged the crops. It was made of yellow clay, mixed with horse manure and straws. Before being used, it had to be fired first, just like any other object used in the household. It can either have a handle to which a chain is attached to keep the top above the bakestone or holes through which metal rods are inserted, with the same role, of lifting up or down the claypot on the hot bakestone.



    The first thing to do is to light a fire, and keep the embers under the bakestone for about half an hour. To make the dough you need flour, water, salt and yeast. In the old days, women would not use yeast, but the foam left by fermented fruit, used to make the traditional brandy called tzuica. So, first knead the dough and then leave it to rest and grow. Place the flattened dough inside the hot clay pot, which you must first coat in egg or tomato juice. Place the pot on top the hot bakestone, where it should stay for about half an hour. If the heat is too much, you can remove the burnt top layer. But, in order to prevent that, fresh cabbage leaves can be placed on top of the dough, which are later removed.


    As we mentioned earlier, the method can be used to also cook meat or vegetable dishes. So, inside an enamelled pot we can put chicken, covered in spices and a little bit of oil, alongside potatoes, carrots, paprika, onion and green beans. The pot is kept on the bake-stone for half and hour and the food can be served right away. Enjoy!