Radio România Internațional

Tag: mutton

  • Food from Buzau county

    Food from Buzau county

    The county of Buzau stands out thanks to a couple
    of staple dishes bearing the name of the county. Each of the products came to
    be known mainly due to the fairs held in this south-eastern region of Romania,
    a genuine trade hub, bordering, on three sides, the great Romanian historical
    principalities: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania.


    There are the Buzau pretzels, the
    small ones, with a diameter of 7 or 8 centimeters, sold on the string and hanging
    on the baker’s door. They are made with leavened dough and are traditionally
    baked in proving ovens. It appears the pretzels were first brought to Romania
    around 1800, by the Greek merchants who settled in Buzau. The pretzels usually
    went with the drinks that were ordered in pubs.


    Buzau is also famous for its
    sausages, for which they are two main sorts, the Buzau babic and the Plescoi
    sausages. Similar products based on minced meat have surely been prepared
    elsewhere around the country. However, the Plescoi sausages came to be known
    thanks to the fairs held in Buzau. The best-known such fair was the Midsummer
    fair held in June on the day the Dragaica was celebrated according to
    tradition. Early 19th century documents make mention of the prices
    for which the mutton pastrami and the sausages were sold, brought from the
    villages of Berca and Plescoi. Initially, the hatchet-chopped mutton was used
    to prepare the Plescoi sausages. The mutton was mixed with lamb suet and spiced
    with garlic, thyme and basil. The mix was then squeezed into thin sheep
    intestines. The sausages were then smoked.
    Later, a little bit of beef was added to the recipe.


    In late 18th century,
    Bulgarian and Serbian nationals took refuge in the region of Buzau, because of
    the Russian-Turkish war. With them, they brought a different recipe for the
    preparation of sausages. In the region of Buzau, the Serbs continued to do what
    they were best at and founded the so-called sarbarii, the Serbian vegetables
    gardens. The Serbs had a penchant for using red chili peppers as a spicer,
    which changed the preparation recipe for
    the Plescoi sausages. It seems that the Buzau babic or the Buzau Serbian babic
    appeared at that time. Mutton was no longer used for their preparation.
    Hatchet-chopped pork was used instead, in stark contrast with the Ottoman
    recipe, for which mutton was used.


    For the preparation of the babic,
    the recipe was quite similar to the preparation of mutton sausages. The pork,
    usually gammon, is minced with the hatchet. Then salt is added, while the meat
    is spiced with hot chili pepper or sweet paprika powder. The resulting mix is
    squeezed in larger intestines, and then the sausages are formed. The sausages
    are aired before they are smoked. In the end, the sausages are pressed into a
    flat shape and then they are hung to dry. The recipe was changed so that the
    drying process could become shorter, with beef also used for the mix. In the
    region of Buzau, a babic-based thick soup is prepared, with lots of vegetables
    and sausage slices, finely-cut.

  • Dishes from Dobrogea

    Dishes from Dobrogea


    In Dobrogea, the
    cuisine has strong Oriental influences, because of the Turkish-tartar minority
    living there. As a rule, the cuisine in Dobrogea is largely based on fish and
    mutton. Chicken, beef and pork are not excluded either.








    Fishermen’s soups,
    marinated fish, fish brine, Dobrogea pilaf, Dobrogea salads, mutton sausages
    and spit-roasted lamb are typical of the Dobrogea region. However, in Dobrogea
    you may find a wide variety of dishes which are specific to the Turkish-Tartar
    minority, such as the kebap, which is lamb or beef broiled on a skewer or a
    stick, the dried sausages known as ghiudem or babic, the Dobrogea Moussaka or
    the rice-based side dishes.






    Dobrogea also boasts
    a series of tasty desserts, based on raisins and the Turkish delight also known
    as lokum, or the famous baklava, a pastry dish made of layers of filo filled
    with chopped nuts, and held together with syrup or honey, or the saraili, made
    of nuts and honey, typical of the Turkish and Tartar community in the region.






    Today you will learn
    how to cook mutton leg. The first recipe teaches you how to prepare a thick
    soup. For that, you need 6-8 potatoes, a carrot, an onion, one parsley root,
    one parsnip and tomato juice. You may also need a bunch of dill and another one
    of parsley, pepper and salt. Peel and wash the meat, then cut it into small
    pieces.






    Let the meat boil
    with a bit of salt, then skim the resulting foam. Add all the finely-chopped
    vegetables and the potatoes cut into cubes. Towards the end, add the tomato
    juice. You can sour the soup with fermented wheat bran brew or sauerkraut
    juice. You will have to put to boil the sauerkraut juice separately and strain
    it before pouring it into the pot. Dress the soup with two beaten eggs before
    removing the pot from the cooker. Sprinkle some finely chopped parsley and
    dill. The soup is best served hot.






    The second recipe for
    today is mutton leg stuffed with rice and mushrooms. Peel, slice and de-bone
    the meat. Cut a lemon in half, then rub it into the meat, on both sides. You
    also need 250 grams of mushrooms that you have to finely-chop and sauté in oil,
    together with a finely-chopped onion. Add the parsley and dill leaves, also
    finely-chopped, ground pepper and salt to taste.






    Stuff the mutton leg
    with the filling and grease it with oil. Place the leg on a tray and oven-bake
    it for about two hours. Every now and then sprinkle the resulting juice on the
    meat. The mutton leg stuffed with rice and mushrooms is best served hot.

    Enjoy!









  • Mutton Pastrami

    Mutton Pastrami


    According to Romanian tradition, in early autumn, when harvesting of wine grapes (vintage) is in full swing, people usually eat mutton pastrami and drink grape juice, known as “must, in Romanian. “Must and pastrami are usually associated with the return of sheep from the mountains to their owners in villages, a significant part of the transhumance process, which gets celebrated by the locals by eating various types of sheep cheese, mutton dishes, and drinking “must.



    Mutton pastrami is usually made from the meat of old sheep and young rams. Pastrami can also be made from beef, pork and chicken, but the beginning of autumn is associated with mutton pastrami. The pastrami is dried, smoked and well spiced, and the best pastrami is made from low-fat mutton.



    To prepare pastrami you will need 2 or 3 kilograms of mutton, several heads of garlic, crushed pepper, salt, chili powder and paprika, dried thyme and white wine. Debone the meat and slice it into thin strips. Crush the garlic cloves into a paste, and mix in the spices and seasonings. Cover the meat well in the paste, pile the strips into a vessel, then cover in white wine. Traditionally, the meat is left to marinate in this mixture for several days in a cool, dry place. In villages it was left like this in house cellars, but nowadays the fridge is used most often for this purpose. When the time is up, the meat is taken out of its marinade and left in the open air to dry well. Only then is it grilled, and if you plan on conserving it for later, the pastrami has to be smoked. If you dont have a grill handy, then slice the meat into thin strips and deep fry it or cook it in the oven. Serve with polenta, with cheese and pickles on the side, and a glass of fresh “must.



    Mutton pastrami can also be used in meat and potato stew, or in meat and bean pods stew. You will need equal amounts of meat and pods and two or three tomatoes, two bell peppers and three onions. Finely chop the onions and simmer in oil, then add the tomatoes cut into small cubes and the peppers sliced into strips, and cook slowly. In a separate recipient boil the pods in salted water, then mix with the simmer vegetables and the pastrami sliced into strips. Leave to simmer, and if the pastrami has not been previously spiced, add ground pepper and chilly at the end.



    Serve hot! Enjoy!