Radio România Internațional

Tag: flour

  • Lower prices for basic food stuffs

    Lower prices for basic food stuffs


    Romania is one of the European countries which has this
    year put a cap on some basic food stuffs. An emergency ordinance came into
    effect on August 1st to enforce a temporary measure of fighting
    price hikes in some farm and food products. The ordinance, which is valid for
    three months, is focusing on capping prices in several food products such as
    bread, milk, meat, vegetables, fruit with a view to boosting the population’s
    purchasing power.


    The discount, which had been previously discussed with
    processors, distributors and traders, was initially envisaged for 14 products.
    According to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
    Development, a survey on prices in supermarkets shows that significant price
    cuts are registered in several products such as, bread, edible oil, potatoes,
    cheese, maize, flour and sugar


    Agriculture minister Florin Barbu has recently said the ordinance on capping the
    trade markup will be extended. Barbu added that funding is presently available
    for projects both in the field of processing and the producers’ energy
    independence.


    Food and farm products
    in Romania have a VAT of 9%. Producers aren’t going to lose because the VAT on
    production expenses is higher, as there is going to be compensation the
    minister went on to say.


    The Ministry’s project
    points out to the government’s summer decision, which had a positive impact,
    explaining why an expansion is needed in the upcoming cold season, with higher household
    expenses and consumption during the winter holidays.


    According to Prime
    Minister Ciolacu, the cap on food prices contributed to bringing inflation
    under 9% last month. The new ordinance should be endorsed by the end of this
    month when the former provisions are going to expire.


    Seven food categories
    should be added on the list of those with a provisionally capped trade markup.


    With the expanded period
    of three months by the end of January 2024, of the 14 capped prices, other food
    products will be added such as pound cake, tomato sauce, some types of light
    sour cream, margarine and yeast. According to the authorities, the decision to
    add more subsidized products to the list has been made jointly with processors
    and retailers. Failure to comply with the provisions of the aforementioned
    ordinance is considered offence and punishable with fines between 100 thousand
    to 2 million RON.


    (bill)

  • Crepes

    Crepes


    You can have crepes as a dessert, with preserve or chocolate filling, but also as an entree, when they have a savory filling. Sometimes you can have crepes at the main course like in Slovakia, for instance, where the roast goose is served with slow-roasted red cabbage and crepes.




    There are traditional communities across Romania that have preserved a tradition where they hold a funeral for the winter, through a celebration known as Farsang or Fasching, a word borrowed from the Saxon settlers of Transylvania.




    On that occasion, young lads have a ritual by which they chase away evil spirits ahead of Lent. Giving out crepes to neighbors is a custom of the Saxons in the Brasov area, dating back to the time when young men were being drafted into military service. Crepe recipes have been in our program before, so this time we offer you an alternative, a variation on crepes as they are cooked around Brasov.




    To make the crepes you need one egg, half a cup of milk, and sparkling water or soda. We also need oil and salt. Whisk the egg into the flour, in a bowl. Gradually add the milk until you get a creamy composition. Put the composition into a hot pan greased with about a tablespoon of oil.




    Fry the pancake until golden brown on both sides. To prepare the filling, we need an onion, 250 grams of mushrooms, 250 grams of minced meat, chicken, pork or beef. We also need spices, such as pepper, thyme, dill or paprika. Gently sauté the finely-chopped onion, then add the meat and the mushrooms, also minced.




    Allow them to simmer for a while. Pack the crepes with the filling as you would a spring roll. Dip them in beaten egg, then douse them in breadcrumbs, and fry them. Alternatively, line them up in an oven tray, put dollops of sour cream on top of them and bake them for about fifteen minutes.



  • Vintage Recipes

    Vintage Recipes

    The city of Fagaras played host recently to an event occasioned by the discovery of a 17th century cookbook sponsored by a Hungarian noblewoman who ruled Transylvania between 1663 and 1688. The festival called Medieval Cuisine is dedicated to cooking old fashioned dishes. The book is one of several published in the 18th and 19th centuries, allowing us to have a glimpse of what was served at feasts held by noble families.



    One such book is structured in four sections, dedicated to the four seasons of the year. In this edition of the Cooking Show we present a menu for a party of ten, as presented in that book. We start with pork soup with egg yolk and sour cream. You need a kilogram of pork, a few onions and a few carrots, a few parsnips and a bunch of parsley, two eggs, sour cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cube the meat, boil it with the chopped vegetables, then add salt to taste. Mix well the egg yolks with the sour cream, then gradually mix in the broth to avoid curdling. Add the resulting mixture to the soup, then use lemon juice or vinegar as a souring agent.



    The main dish is beef cooked venison style. Take about twenty boneless beef steaks, half a liter of vinegar and one liter of water, three or four onions, about 30 peppercorns and about 15 allspice berries, 5 bay leaves, a few tablespoons of sour cream, and a few tablespoons of flour. Bring to a boil the water and vinegar, with the sliced onion, and the spices. After cooling, use the liquid to cover the beef.



    Leave for three days, turning the meat over once or twice a day. On the third day, fry the steaks in lard, then cover with beef broth. Simmer for about two hours. In the meantime, in a separate, smaller saucepan make a sauce out of melted lard and flour, to which you then add a few tablespoons of broth and a tablespoon of sugar. Put in a bit of sour cream, then pour over the steaks. Use plain boiled peas and carrots as a side dish.