Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian

January 24, 2022

CELEBRATION
Today Romania celebrates 163 years since the Union of the Romanian
Principalities, the first major step in the formation of the Romanian nation
state, paving the way for the Great Union of 1918. On January 24, 1859,
Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of Wallachia, after on January 5 he had
become sovereign of Moldavia. His rule laid the foundations for modern Romania.
January 24 is a banking holiday in Romania. While many people chose to spend
the holiday in mountain resorts, the ones who stayed at home had the option of
attending military and religious ceremonies and celebratory concerts organised
around the country under COVID-19 restrictions. Bucharest’s Patriarchal
Cathedral hosted a service devoted to all those who contributed to the 1859 Union.
Politicians posted messages on this occasion. President Klaus Iohannis said the
Union on January 24, 1859 proves the importance of a project able to bring
together the energy of the Romanian nation, and urged people to work
persistently to consolidate the country’s current European and democratic path.
The Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă pointed out that the Union was the result of the
untiring efforts of the politicians of the time, driven by the nation’s dream
of unity and of administrative, economic and social progress. This desire
endured with all the following generations, triggering major changes in the
Romanian society, Nicolae Ciucă added. In turn, the speaker of the Chamber of
Deputies and president of the Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu said that,
163 years since the Union of the Romanian Principalities, what Romanians need
more than ever is unity and stability, if they are to handle current economic,
healthcare and security challenges.

COVID-19 Romanian authorities announced today 12,082 new cases of SARS-CoV-2
infections in 24 hours and 41 related deaths. The incidence rate in the capital
Bucharest is on the rise, reaching 10.23 cases per thousand people. The city
has been in the red tier since January 12, when the incidence rate went over 3
per thousand. The COVID-19 testing capacity is set to increase this week to
150,000 tests per day, as over 3,800 family physicians have signed contracts
with public health insurance agencies in this respect. In Bucharest and the
nearby county of Ilfov, where the largest number of cases is reported, testing
centres have already been opened in 20 hospitals. On Wednesday at the latest
COVID-19 testing will also be resumed in schools, after more than 10 million
test kits were received by school inspectorates. The health minister Alexandru
Rafila expects the current (5th) wave of the pandemic to reach its
peak in Romania in about 3 weeks’ time.

UKRAINE The European Union does not intend for the time being to follow in
the footsteps of the US and order the families of its diplomats to leave
Ukraine, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said today, according to
France Presse and Reuters. On Sunday night a senior US official justified the
decision saying that a Russian invasion may take place at any time. The US
secretary of state Antony Blinken is to address a meeting of the EU foreign
ministers in Brussels today, via video link, to update them on his recent talks
with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Attending
the meeting in Brussels is the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu. Russia has deployed around 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border,
which the West reads as a preparation for an attack designed to prevent Ukraine
from joining NATO.

DOCUMENTARY The French public TV channel France 3 tonight airs for the first
time a documentary on Marie of Romania, the amazing queen of the
Carpathians, as part of its highly popular history series Secrets
of history. The production of the documentary took one year and a half.
Archive photos and footage have been collected, along with testimonies by
historians and members of the Royal House of Romania. Scenes have been shot at
the Peleş and Bran castles in the southern Carpathians, at the Cotroceni
National Museum in Bucharest and at the Curtea de Argeş Monastery where Royal
House members have been buried. Queen Marie, the wife of King Ferdinand I, was
acknowledged in Europe as an ambassador of the Romanian nation and a supporter
of the Romanian nation state.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep lost to Alizé Cornet
of France, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in the round of 16 of the Australian Open in
Melbourne today. For Halep (15 WTA) this was the first defeat after a string of
8 consecutive wins. Also today, Sorana Cîrstea of Romania takes on seed no. 7 Iga
Swiatek of Poland, in the same competition round. (A.M.P.)

24 January 2022
500 years since the letter of Neacșu of Câmpulung

In
1894, Friedrich Stenner, an archivist with the Brașov City Archives, found a
document written in Cyrillic alphabet by a Neacșu from the town of Câmpulung. It
was a letter to the mayor of Braşov, Hans Benkner, in which Neacșu was warning
of Ottoman military manoeuvres on the Danube and advised measures should be
taken. The letter dates back to 1521 and is regarded as the first document in
Romanian preserved to this day.

Neacșu’s brief note
has been researched extensively by historians and linguists. The former have
focused on the players involved and the political context of the 16th
Century, and the latter analysed the Romanian language of the time.

Regional politics was
dominated by the Ottoman Empire’s expansion into Central Europe. Since the
mid-14th Century and until 1521, the Ottomans had conquered the
Balkans and were heading for Hungary, which was to fall in 1526. Historian Radu
Nedici, a professor of Medieval history with the University of Bucharest, was
the first to provide an explanation for the document:

Radu Nedici: Historians
tried to come up with an explanation for the letter. The most reasonable of
them seems to be the haste to convey information on an Ottoman military
campaign. The standard at the time was to use Slavonic or Latin in the
correspondence between Wallachia, Transylvania and the Kingdom of Hungary. Very
likely the rush to send urgent intelligence regarding an Ottoman attack and a
possible threat to Braşov prompted Neacșu to write this letter in Romanian.

The
strongest ties between the German towns in the Transylvanian Carpathians and
the other Romanian provinces were economic. Câmpulung and Brașov, only 85 km
from each other, had over two centuries old connections, and those who
preserved that contact were mostly merchants. Neacșu was apparently part of Câmpulung’s
trading elite, says Radu Nedici:

Radu Nedici: Unfortunately we know little today about Neacșu of Câmpulung. He is
never mentioned in documents prior to this letter. He seems to be a merchant
from Câmpulung, involved in trading Oriental products that would transit
Wallachia on their way to Central Europe, via Brașov. On the other side we have
the magistrate from Braşov, the mayor of the town, mentioned in a lot more
documents. Since Brașov was one of the main towns in Transylvania, his position
was quite important.

In 1521, Wallachia was
ruled by prince Neagoe Basarab. In fact, the prince died around 3 months after
the letter was written. The country was likely to fall under Ottoman influence,
but Wallachian nobility were still hoping for support from Hungary. Therefore,
Wallachian princes and characters like Neacșu would readily keep the Christians
across the mountains up to date with the Ottomans’ moves.

The letter was
complete, written in brown ink, in good condition, with a seal on the back. We asked
Radu Nedici about the Romanian language spoken in the 16th Century:

Radu Nedici: To a 21st
Century reader, the language is rather hard to understand, because a lot of
Slavonic phrases are used. The beginning and ending, as well as the connectors
for each paragraph, are taken as such from Slavonic, hence the difficulty of
understanding the text. On the other hand, the language is quite comprehensible
if we look exclusively at the part of the text in Romanian. So we have a
language developing in a direction that we can recognise today.

In a book published in
1970, linguist Aurel Nicolescu counted 190 unique words in Neacşu’s letter. 178
of them come from Latin, 11 are Slavonic and Hungarian, and only 1 comes from
Turkish.

Radu Nedici: The letter was written at a time
when Romanian was just being introduced in the princely chancellery. This happened
as the Romanian language was beginning to be used extensively, including in
official contexts. This is a document written at a precisely known date, in
1521, so in mid-16th Century we are beginning to see
Romanian-language documents written in Romanian chancelleries. It was the time
when the Romanian language was developing and becoming predominant.

The
letter of Neacșu of Câmpulung is the written testimony that Romanian was used
in correspondence 500 years ago. In the five centuries that followed, various
influences have enriched it and turned it into the language we speak today. (tr, A.M. Popescu)

12 December 2021
Foreign Ministry discusses topical issues

Romania has ‘exceptionally good relations with Israel, which is a strategic partner to Bucharest, but it also has ‘very good relations with the Palestinian side. The statement was made on a private tv station by the foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, who discussed the severe security situation in Israel and Gaza.

The Romanian diplomat firmly condemned the rocket attacks from the territory controlled by the Islamist group Hamas over civilian targets in Israel. “We have voiced our deep regret for the loss of human lives and the hopes that this will not happen again. Unfortunately, such situations still occur, the Romanian official said.

According to Aurescu, around 320-350 Romanian nationals, including people with dual citizenship, are currently in Gaza Strip, and the diplomatic missions in the region have been instructed to provide support to them, should such support be requested.

Apart from this most important international issue at the moment, the Romanian diplomacy chief also discussed the delicate topic of the visas still required for the Romanian citizens who want to travel to the US, in spite of the strong strategic partnership between Washington and Bucharest and the EU criticism of the US.

Bulgarians, Croatians, Cypriots and Romanians are the only EU citizens who need visas in order to enter the US, and the European Parliament has requested the Commission to activate the visa reciprocity mechanism and to suspend for one year the waiver of visa requirements for US citizens.

This however is not a file of special political and diplomatic nature, but rather a technical matter. Minister Bogdan Aurescu explained that Romanians still need visas for the US because the rejection rate of 9-10% of the total number of applications is higher than the 3% ceiling admitted under the US law. Romania meets all the other criteria stipulated by the American legislation, except for the one concerning the rejection rate.

This situation cannot be blamed on either the Romanian or the US authorities, but is related to the failure of some Romanian visa applicants to meet relevant requirements, Aurescu emphasised.

He added that he had discussed the matter with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The two agreed that a joint Romanian-American information campaign is needed for the Romanian nationals who want to travel to the US, so as to make applicants seeking short-term stay visas in the US aware of the prerequisites for obtaining one. Those who find they do not meet these prerequisites might thus refrain from applying, and the rejection rate would therefore drop.

There have been initiatives in the US Congress regarding possible exceptions from the visa requirements for citizens of allied countries, but such initiatives have failed, the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu also said. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

17 May 2021
Aubergine dishes

Alongside tomatoes and peppers,
aubergines are some of the favourite vegetables in Romania during the hot
summer months, but they are also used to make preserved spreads for the winter.
Whether grilled on an open fire or on the hob, aubergines are easily prepared and
can be eaten as a spread or used as filling for other vegetables. Sliced and lightly
fried or stuffed and then cooked in the oven and served with various sauces, aubergines
are very versatile vegetables to be eaten both as appetizer and as a main dish.

Aubergines were introduced to these
parts following the Ottoman expansion to Europe. The Turkish way of preparing
aubergines also spread, and the Turkish names of these dishes are still in use
today, such as moussaka, which can be made using minced meat.

A vegetable version of moussaka only
contains aubergines, potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions and sour cream. Here’s
the recipe: You need 6 medium-sized potatoes, 2 medium-sized aubergines, half a
kilo of mushrooms, 2 onions and a bell pepper. Dice the potatoes and brown them
gently in oil then place them in an oven dish. Cut the aubergines into rounds
and fry them in a little oil until they get brown, then arrange them in a layer
on top of the potatoes. Finely cut the mushrooms, onions and the pepper and again
cook them in oil, then add on top of the aubergines. Warm the sour cream to
make it more liquid, then add on top, followed by a pinch of salt and some
finely chopped fresh dill. Put the dish in the oven and cook for some 45
minutes. You can also add some hard cheese towards the end. If you prefer a
lighter alternative, replace the sour cream with tomato juice, which goes well
with chopped fresh parsley instead of dill.

Another popular aubergine dish that
comes from Turkey is imam bayıldı, or stuffed aubergines, as it is known in
Romania. The Turkish name literally translates as the imam fainted, which tells
you how delicious this dish is. Here’s the recipe: You need 2 large aubergines,
2-3 onions, half a kilo of tomatoes, a head of garlic, 2-3 bell peppers, 2
carrots, a head of celeriac, a hot chili pepper, a bunch of fresh parsley and
some olive oil. Cut the stems from the top of the aubergines and cut them lengthwise
in half. Blanch them in hot water for a minute or two, remove, sprinkle with
salt and allow to drain for half an hour. Meanwhile, slice the onions, carrots,
celeriac, peppers, tomatoes and garlic. Fry the onion, then add the rest of the
vegetables save the garlic, which is added towards the end. Place the aubergines
halves in an oven tray, cut side up. Press with a spoon to make a hollow and spoon
the vegetable mixture inside, then sprinkle the finely sliced chili and some
chopped parsley on top. Put the tray in the oven and cook at medium heat for
half an hour, then transfer to a plate and add some more fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

12 September 2020
Aubergine dishes

Alongside tomatoes and peppers,
aubergines are some of the favourite vegetables in Romania during the hot
summer months, but they are also used to make preserved spreads for the winter.
Whether grilled on an open fire or on the hob, aubergines are easily prepared and
can be eaten as a spread or used as filling for other vegetables. Sliced and lightly
fried or stuffed and then cooked in the oven and served with various sauces, aubergines
are very versatile vegetables to be eaten both as appetizer and as a main dish.

Aubergines were introduced to these
parts following the Ottoman expansion to Europe. The Turkish way of preparing
aubergines also spread, and the Turkish names of these dishes are still in use
today, such as moussaka, which can be made using minced meat.

A vegetable version of moussaka only
contains aubergines, potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions and sour cream. Here’s
the recipe: You need 6 medium-sized potatoes, 2 medium-sized aubergines, half a
kilo of mushrooms, 2 onions and a bell pepper. Dice the potatoes and brown them
gently in oil then place them in an oven dish. Cut the aubergines into rounds
and fry them in a little oil until they get brown, then arrange them in a layer
on top of the potatoes. Finely cut the mushrooms, onions and the pepper and again
cook them in oil, then add on top of the aubergines. Warm the sour cream to
make it more liquid, then add on top, followed by a pinch of salt and some
finely chopped fresh dill. Put the dish in the oven and cook for some 45
minutes. You can also add some hard cheese towards the end. If you prefer a
lighter alternative, replace the sour cream with tomato juice, which goes well
with chopped fresh parsley instead of dill.

Another popular aubergine dish that
comes from Turkey is imam bayıldı, or stuffed aubergines, as it is known in
Romania. The Turkish name literally translates as the imam fainted, which tells
you how delicious this dish is. Here’s the recipe: You need 2 large aubergines,
2-3 onions, half a kilo of tomatoes, a head of garlic, 2-3 bell peppers, 2
carrots, a head of celeriac, a hot chili pepper, a bunch of fresh parsley and
some olive oil. Cut the stems from the top of the aubergines and cut them lengthwise
in half. Blanch them in hot water for a minute or two, remove, sprinkle with
salt and allow to drain for half an hour. Meanwhile, slice the onions, carrots,
celeriac, peppers, tomatoes and garlic. Fry the onion, then add the rest of the
vegetables save the garlic, which is added towards the end. Place the aubergines
halves in an oven tray, cut side up. Press with a spoon to make a hollow and spoon
the vegetable mixture inside, then sprinkle the finely sliced chili and some
chopped parsley on top. Put the tray in the oven and cook at medium heat for
half an hour, then transfer to a plate and add some more fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

7 September 2020
Fish recipes

Romanians
have just celebrated the Annunciation, an important feast day in the Christian
calendar. It is only on this day and on Palm Sunday that practicing Orthodox
Christians are allowed to eat fish during Lent, the fasting period before
Easter. During Lent, all animal products are forbidden. So with this feast day
in mind, here’s a few fish-based recipes.

If
you have people over for an informal meal, we recommend a cold fish platter
with fish paste, taramasalata, fish cakes and some slices of stuffed pike. Making the taramasalata
and the fish cakes is quite easy, but the fish paste may take a while because
the fish filet must first be cooked in the oven on a low heat. Making the
stuffed pike dish also requires some skill and will take a long time. It
involves descaling and deboning the fish, then removing the skin without
breaking it so as to be able to stuff it with a filling of minced fish,
vegetables and spices.

One
fish dish that’s quite easy to make is fish soup and today we’re also giving
you the recipe for a fish broth from the Danube Delta called storceag
that’s made using root vegetables. To make it, you’ll need a kilo of fish
fillet, a handful of potatoes, two carrots, one head of celeriac, two onions
and, optionally, a couple of tomatoes and bell peppers. Start by salting the
fish and leaving it in a cold place while you prepare the vegetables. Into a
large 4-5 litre capacity pan place the finely chopped carrots and celeriac together
with the onion, which can be either whole or chopped, the potatoes, diced, and,
if you’re using them, the sliced tomatoes and peppers. Rinse the fish fillet of
the salt, dice it and place it in the pan, bringing it to boil and then simmering
it for at least 15 minutes. Add a dash of lemon juice and, when the broth is
almost done, mix the yolk of one egg with a few spoonfuls of sour cream and then
pour it into the pan. Finally, add a few sprigs of finely chopped dill. Remove
the pan from the heat, cover it and let it sit for a few minutes until the
flavours have seeped in and then serve.

As a
main dish, we suggest stuffed roast carp. For this recipe, you’ll need a 2 kg
carp. Descale, debone and rinse the fish before sprinkling it with salt, inside
and out. Now to create the filling of mushrooms and rice with which to stuff
the fish. To make the filling you’re going to need about half a kilo of
mushrooms, half a kilo of tomatoes, one cup of rice, two onions, a head of
garlic, some fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Slice the mushrooms
and the onion and fry them gently in oil, then add a splash of water and cook a
little before adding the rice, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour some tomato juice
and some white wine into the roasting tin and place the carp inside, using the
pan juices to baste the fish while it cooks. Roast until golden. Poftă bună!

Let us know if you’ve tried any of our recipes yourselves and what else you’d
like to know about Romanian cuisine. (Tr.: CM)

29 March 2020
Fish recipes

Romanians
have just celebrated the Annunciation, an important feast day in the Christian
calendar. It is only on this day and on Palm Sunday that practicing Orthodox
Christians are allowed to eat fish during Lent, the fasting period before
Easter. During Lent, all animal products are forbidden. So with this feast day
in mind, here’s a few fish-based recipes.

If
you have people over for an informal meal, we recommend a cold fish platter
with fish paste, taramasalata, fish cakes and some slices of stuffed pike. Making the taramasalata
and the fish cakes is quite easy, but the fish paste may take a while because
the fish filet must first be cooked in the oven on a low heat. Making the
stuffed pike dish also requires some skill and will take a long time. It
involves descaling and deboning the fish, then removing the skin without
breaking it so as to be able to stuff it with a filling of minced fish,
vegetables and spices.

One
fish dish that’s quite easy to make is fish soup and today we’re also giving
you the recipe for a fish broth from the Danube Delta called storceag
that’s made using root vegetables. To make it, you’ll need a kilo of fish
fillet, a handful of potatoes, two carrots, one head of celeriac, two onions
and, optionally, a couple of tomatoes and bell peppers. Start by salting the
fish and leaving it in a cold place while you prepare the vegetables. Into a
large 4-5 litre capacity pan place the finely chopped carrots and celeriac together
with the onion, which can be either whole or chopped, the potatoes, diced, and,
if you’re using them, the sliced tomatoes and peppers. Rinse the fish fillet of
the salt, dice it and place it in the pan, bringing it to boil and then simmering
it for at least 15 minutes. Add a dash of lemon juice and, when the broth is
almost done, mix the yolk of one egg with a few spoonfuls of sour cream and then
pour it into the pan. Finally, add a few sprigs of finely chopped dill. Remove
the pan from the heat, cover it and let it sit for a few minutes until the
flavours have seeped in and then serve.

As a
main dish, we suggest stuffed roast carp. For this recipe, you’ll need a 2 kg
carp. Descale, debone and rinse the fish before sprinkling it with salt, inside
and out. Now to create the filling of mushrooms and rice with which to stuff
the fish. To make the filling you’re going to need about half a kilo of
mushrooms, half a kilo of tomatoes, one cup of rice, two onions, a head of
garlic, some fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Slice the mushrooms
and the onion and fry them gently in oil, then add a splash of water and cook a
little before adding the rice, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour some tomato juice
and some white wine into the roasting tin and place the carp inside, using the
pan juices to baste the fish while it cooks. Roast until golden. Poftă bună!

Let us know if you’ve tried any of our recipes yourselves and what else you’d
like to know about Romanian cuisine. (Tr.: CM)

21 March 2020
Celeriac recipes

The guest star today is celeriac,
which is used a lot in Romania in a variety of dishes, especially soups, in
combination with other root vegetables. Celeriac is rich in vitamins and is
recommended for people with a high cholesterol level. Raw, celeriac can be used
in a salad, grated, and in combination with carrots, also grated, and apples,
cubed. The salad also needs a bit of olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and
pepper and salt to taste. Cooked and cubed chicken meat can also be added to
this salad, which can be served as a starter.

Another easy recipe involving
celeriac is celeriac and cheese. First slice the celeriac thinly and put it in
a pot with water and leave it to boil. When the celeriac is done, pass it
through a sieve to get rid of the water, and then fry it in oil or butter in a
pan on the hob. When the celeriac becomes golden, turn off the heat. Put the
celeriac in an oven pot to form a layer, then add a layer of grated cheese.
Repeat until the pot is full, making sure you finish with a layer of cheese,
which you can brush with a beaten egg. Put the pan in the oven and leave it to
cook for 20 minutes at 180 degrees, until a crust forms on the surface.

Although it’s easy to make, celeriac
soup is actually not very common in Romanian cuisine, but we do find the recipe
in many cook books, both old and of a more recent date. What we need to make
this soup is about 1 kg of celeriac, half a kilo of potatoes, an onion and some
garlic cloves. Slice the celeriac and cube the potatoes and put them in a pot
to boil for 30 minutes, either in salted water or chicken stock. Separately,
slice an onion and some garlic and fry them gently in oil, then add to the pot.
When the vegetables are cooked, mash or blend them, then add some milk or
cream. To decorate the celeriac soup, you can use celeriac leaves which you
first fry gently in a little oil. You can also serve this soup with croutons.
You can use the same recipe to make celeriac mash to serve instead of mashed
potatoes as a side dish to a main course. Enjoy, or poftă bună as we say in Romanian!

13 October 2019
Adjectival agreement in Romanian

Romanian is
an inflection-rich language, so we bring you the basics on
adjectival declension, in the hopes that getting the form of an adjective right
improves your command communicative competence in Romanian.

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

Un scriitor talentat/o scriitoare
talentata a talented writer

Un prieten minunat/o prietena minunata
a wonderful friend.

In the genitive-dative, the forms are
as follows: unui scriitor talentat/unei scriitoare talentate

Unui prieten minunat/unei prietene
minunate.

Now let us use some of these words and
phrases in meaningful sentences:

Un scriitor
talentat va reusi intotdeauna sa-si publice opera, oricit de greu ar fi.

A talented writer will always succeed
to get his work published, no matter how hard that might be.

Unei scriitoare talentate ii este usor
sa vorbeasca despre opera sa in public.

A talented woman writer will find it
easy to speak about her work in public.

Mihai este un
prieten minunat ; el iti va spune intodeauna unde gresesti.

Mihai is a wonderful friend. He will
always tell you when you are wrong.

Pantru baietii ei,
mama lor a reusit intotdeauna sa fie o prietena minunata.

For her boys, their mother has always
succeeded to be a wonderful friend.

7 July 2019
Adjectival agreement in Romanian

Romanian is
an inflection-rich language, so we bring you the basics on
adjectival declension, in the hopes that getting the form of an adjective right
improves your command communicative competence in Romanian.

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

Un scriitor talentat/o scriitoare
talentata a talented writer

Un prieten minunat/o prietena minunata
a wonderful friend.

In the genitive-dative, the forms are
as follows: unui scriitor talentat/unei scriitoare talentate

Unui prieten minunat/unei prietene
minunate.

Now let us use some of these words and
phrases in meaningful sentences:

Un scriitor
talentat va reusi intotdeauna sa-si publice opera, oricit de greu ar fi.

A talented writer will always succeed
to get his work published, no matter how hard that might be.

Unei scriitoare talentate ii este usor
sa vorbeasca despre opera sa in public.

A talented woman writer will find it
easy to speak about her work in public.

Mihai este un
prieten minunat ; el iti va spune intodeauna unde gresesti.

Mihai is a wonderful friend. He will
always tell you when you are wrong.

Pantru baietii ei,
mama lor a reusit intotdeauna sa fie o prietena minunata.

For her boys, their mother has always
succeeded to be a wonderful friend.

7 July 2019
RRI Sports Club

The Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament is underway in Paris. Beyond the obvious prestige of this competition, this year the event has gained in importance, as the value of total winnings has gone up, standing at over 42 million euros.

For Romanian tennis, Roland Garros is the place where our players have grabbed some of their most notable performances over the years. In the 1970s, for instance, Ilie Nastase won the tournament twice. In 1970 he prevailed in the mens doubles together with another Romanian, Ion Tiriac. In 1973, Nastase won the mens singles after an outstanding run, without losing a single set. Ilie Nastase at the time was one of the players who dominated world tennis. Over August 23, 1973 and June 2, 1974 he was world no. 1 in the official standings of the Association of Tennis Professionals.

In the womens competition, Florenta Mihai reached the womens singles final in 1977. Another Romanian, Virginia Ruzici, won the womens singles in 1978, as well as the doubles event that year, alongside Mima Jausovec of Yugoslavia.

Few notable performances followed after that period for Romanian athletes, a long break that ended with the rise of Simona Halep. In 2014 and 2017 Halep played the finals, while in 2018 she finally won the womens singles against Sloane Stephens of the United States, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

(translated by: Vlad Palcu)

6 June 2019
RRI Sports Club

The Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament is underway in Paris. Beyond the obvious prestige of this competition, this year the event has gained in importance, as the value of total winnings has gone up, standing at over 42 million euros.

For Romanian tennis, Roland Garros is the place where our players have grabbed some of their most notable performances over the years. In the 1970s, for instance, Ilie Nastase won the tournament twice. In 1970 he prevailed in the mens doubles together with another Romanian, Ion Tiriac. In 1973, Nastase won the mens singles after an outstanding run, without losing a single set. Ilie Nastase at the time was one of the players who dominated world tennis. Over August 23, 1973 and June 2, 1974 he was world no. 1 in the official standings of the Association of Tennis Professionals.

In the womens competition, Florenta Mihai reached the womens singles final in 1977. Another Romanian, Virginia Ruzici, won the womens singles in 1978, as well as the doubles event that year, alongside Mima Jausovec of Yugoslavia.

Few notable performances followed after that period for Romanian athletes, a long break that ended with the rise of Simona Halep. In 2014 and 2017 Halep played the finals, while in 2018 she finally won the womens singles against Sloane Stephens of the United States, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

(translated by: Vlad Palcu)

5 June 2019
Courgettes. Wheat in cooking.

Courgettes

Courgettes, also known as zucchini, have a wide variety of uses. One very easy to make dish is fried courgettes. Take three medium sized courgettes, as larger ones have tougher seeds. Cut off the ends, and cut it into half inch slices. Sprinkle salt on them and leave them to sweat. Douse them in flour, shaking off the excess. Beat an egg, mix in a bit of ground black pepper, and dip the slices in the egg. Fry in oil at medium heat. You can serve hot or cold. They go well with the garlic sauce of your choice.

Another great application are courgettes stuffed with ground chicken meat. Large size courgettes go well with this application, after you scoop out the seeds. You also need two onions, one carrot, one capsicum, a few tomatoes, a bunch of fresh dill, as well as thyme, black pepper, and paprika. Cut the courgettes in two lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Chop the capsicum and onions finely, grate the carrot, then sweat them in oil. You can add the scooped out core, if the seeds arent tough. Add the ground chicken meat, along with the dill, finely chopped, and the herbs and spices. Place the mixture into the courgettes, then cover with tomato slices. Put the courgettes into a deep oven tray. Chop up the remaining tomatoes, then place them in the tray, covering in water. Bake for about 45 minutes at medium heat. At the end, you can sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve hot, garnishing with sour cream.

Wheat in cooking

It is wheat harvest time, and in Romanian rural life, that is a crucial yearly event. Wheat is a fundamental part of harvest rituals, and it is also closely associated with traditional religious events, such as the celebration of St. Elijah’s day.

In times before staples such as corn, potatoes and rice had yet to reach Europe, wheat was not considered only something to make bread out of, but also as a major side dish. One dish mostly lost is one that was a staple for sailors and dockworkers in ports on the Danube. While shipping the wheat, the river boatmen would boil wheat in a large covered pot, then add sautéed onion and chopped tomato to it, a little wine, and the fish. This mixture would be simmered no more than 30 minutes, taking care not to overcook the fish.

Another recipe that might interest you is one inspired by the popular pilaf, but we will substitute wheat for the rice. Take half a kilogram of wheat, 3 medium sized onions, a few mushrooms, fresh or tinned, two green peppers, and a bunch of fresh parsley. Boil the wheat with a bit of salt. Separately, sautee in a bit of oil the finely chopped onion, then add the sliced green peppers, and the sliced mushrooms. Keep stirring the sautee until it is well blended, then add it to the boiled wheat. Garnish with the fresh parsley, then serve immediately.

Enjoy!

30 July 2017
April 5, 2017

JUSTICE – Romanian justice minister, Tudorel Toader, has today announced that the draft law meant to harmonize the provisions of the Criminal Codes with the rulings issued by the Constitutional Court will be sent for public debate and then submitted to Parliament for legislative procedures. He underlined that the draft does not establish a minimum ceiling for the prejudice in a case of abuse of office. Partially decriminalising the offence of abuse of office, by introducing a ceiling of some 45,000 Euro, under which such acts are not considered criminal offences, was one of the amendments introduced by Toader’s predecessor, Florin Iordache, in the controversial emergency decree number 13, adopted in January. The emergency decree which was later repealed, caused the largest street protests in post-communist Romania.

CORRUPTION – The former head of the National Health Insurance House of Romania, Lucian Duta, has been subject to judicial restrictions pending trial, in a case in which he is accused of bribe taking. According to the anti-corruption prosecutors, he reportedly took bribe, in several instalments, exceeding eight million Euros, from representatives of various companies. In exchange for the money, Duta allegedly signed several contracts related to the national IT system, and the implementation of the health card. The former head of the National Health Insurance House of Romania should pay a 10 million Euro bail in 10 days time. Otherwise, the measure of judicial restrictions imposed on him will be replaced by a more severe measure.

CONDAMNATION — The US, France and Great Britain have come up with a draft resolution condemning the chemical attack which left scores of dead in north-western Syria on Tuesday. The three countries are also demanding a complete and fast investigation into the incident. The draft has been forwarded to the 15 members of the UN Security Council ahead of today’s emergency meeting, requested by Paris and London in the wake of the attack. The US, France and Great Britain blame the regime of Bashar al Assad for the chemical attack, but the Syrian officials deny any involvement. Tuesday’s chemical attack is the second most severe attack since the start of the conflict in Syria. In 2013, another attack near Damascus left 1,400 people dead. We’ll have more on this issue, later in radio newsreel.

EUROPEAN AFFAIRS – The Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs, Ana Birchall, is today continuing her visit to Paris. Earlier, she met, among others, with the minister of state for European affairs, Harlem Désir. The two officials have approached such issues as the future of the European Union, Brexit and the Schengen area. The agenda of talks also included issues related to preparations for Romania’s taking over the presidency of the EU Council in the fist half of 2019.

HOCKEY — Romania’s national men’s ice hockey team on Tuesday evening defeated Serbia 4-1, in its second match of the IIHF World Championship, Second Division, Group A, hosted by the city of Galati, in eastern Romania. In the first match, Romania defeated Belgium 9-1. Romania will also meet Iceland on Thursday, Australia on Friday and Spain on Sunday. The Romanian team’s objective is to end the group in the first position, which secures promotion to the next stage of the competition. These are the first matches played under the guidance of Romania’s new coach, Canadian Martin Lacroix. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

5 April 2017
Bogdan Mirica’s Dogs opens in Romanian cinemas

Dogs, Bogdan Miricas debut feature film has opened in more than 70 cinemas and other screening venues across Romania. Dogs won the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 69th Cannes Festival, the Transylvania Trophy at the Transylvania International Film Festival in Cluj Napoca, and two awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The plot is set is eastern Romania, near the Ukrainian border. A young man from the city called Roman goes to an isolated village in Dobrogea to sell a plot of land he inherited from his grandfather who had died a couple of months before. During his stay, he gradually becomes aware of a series of strange events. There is something threatening in the air. Alongside Dragoş Bucur, Vlad Ivanov and Gheorghe Visu, the cast includes Teodor Corban, Raluca Aprodu, Costel Caşcaval and Constantin Cojocaru. The director Bogdan Mirică also wrote the screenplay of the film, which critics believe is a departure from the Romanian New Wave:

Bogdan Mirică: “I think an unjustifiable distinction is being made between art-house films and films for the public, which means that many people have become used to automatically viewing art films as boring and popular films as superficial. I dont think this type of looking at things is valid, considering that there are many films that enjoy both critical acclaim and box office success. I also think that instead of stubbornly dividing things into separate categories, we should be honest with ourselves and see where the film takes us. I hope as many people as possible can relate to my film, which may or may not translate into box-office success.“

“Im not interested in a social critique of contemporary Romania. I am interested in speaking about certain typologies, says Bogdan Mirica. He tells us the idea for the film is based on impressions he remembers from his childhood:

Bogdan Mirică: “I dont know if they were objective observations or rather emotions. I spent my childhood in the countryside and I witnessed some events there, some of them very brutal and arbitrary. I think arbitrary violence is terrifying because you dont know what causes violence and you cant predict that a certain situation will escalate. I had been thinking of this kind of atmosphere and a certain human type for a long time and at some point I realised there was a potential there I could develop in the film. As an independent filmmaker you know your project may take years to develop and have to be sure you wont get bored with it. I realised there were enough emotions in me to be able to develop this project without becoming bored or discouraged along the way.

Bogdan Mirica wrote the screenplay of his film Dogs with two actors in mind for two key roles: Gheorghe Visu and Vlad Ivanov:

Bogdan Mirică: “The discussions I first had with the actors focused more on the world I wanted to create rather than on the characters. This world, to be characterised by a kind of theatricality and poetry and a kind of nostalgia, does not have a perfect counterpart in reality. The register of the film is not a realistic one, the way characters speak is not realistic, the way they keep silent or relate to one another is not realistic either. So I had to make the actors understand the kind of atmosphere I wanted to create and I wanted to create a stylistic coherence. […] As a director you have many tools, many instruments at hand and Gheorghe Visu is a strong presence with a kind of halo about him and Im referring to the way he stands and forces his feet into the ground and in this way, his acting might have become redundant. So I wanted to balance such situations to make sure I reach my target.

The film directed by Bogdan Mirica has been selected at festivals in Finland, Norway, Canada, Poland, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, the USA and Italy.

22 October 2016