Transylvania – Romania – Moldova
When we hear Transylvania, the thoughts of vampires are conjured up, especially in English-speaking areas. This is due to Bram Stoker’s horror novel “Dracula” written in 1897. The first Dracula movie was made in 1931, adapted from an earlier stage play. Bela Lugosi of Hungarian heritage portrayed Count Dracula. Draculamovies were still being made in this century – with other actors, of course.
Transylvania has a scenic beauty including its Carpathian landscape located in the central part of Romania. Historically Transylvania extends west to the ApuseniMountains with the Carpathian Mountain range to the east and south. Transylvania translates fromMedieval Latin to “beyond the forest.”
In 82 BC–106AD it was known as the Kingdom of Dacra. Through the centuries the area has been overrun and conquered by many different countries and empires. Between 1003-1526 it was under the rule of the Magyars (Hungarians). It was after the Battle of Vienna in the mid-1800s that the Habsburgs acquired the territory. Finally it became part of Romania. In Transylvania you will find large urbane counties and small ones along with rural areas. Today, a little more than 77% of the population consider themselves Romanian and 18% Hungarian with the remaining a diversified mixture.
Transylvania has large mineral resources – such as lignite, manganese, iron, gold, copper, lead, salt, sulfur and natural gases. The Jiu Valley was a major mining area at one time. After the Communist regime collapsed, the mining industry declined – forcing diversity into the area.
As most of Romania, the population of Transylvania follows the Eastern Orthodox religion, along with that of RomanCatholicism, Greek Snowy Transylvania. is a picturesque, rural European setting.
Catholicism and Protestantism. Romania is a secular state and remains neutral.
Transylvania has had significantHungarian and German influences. Over the years, castles were built with Gothic architecture. One of the noted ones is Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle). Several medieval cities are identified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Densus Church is theoldest churchinRomania still holding regular scheduled services.
Hungarian traditions and culture is still strong and somewhat complex in the area. Cafes and street theatre are on-going and are well received. Filmandmusic festivals are held throughout the year, alongwith several diversified offerings.
I tend to have A.A.A.D.D. (Age ActivatedAttention Deficit Disorder) which manifests itself in this manner. When I am doing research for one area or place – I tend to drift to other areas or places – all at the same time.
ThisbringsmetothecountryofMoldova. It sounds like a country in a movie. It is sandwiched between Romania and the Ukraine. The Prut River makes-up the entire border between Romania and Moldova which is also touched by the Danube in the south. It is landlocked having no coastlines or seaports on an ocean or a sea. It is slightly larger than our state of Maryland. Moldova was formerly a part of the SovietUnion and has one of the
poorest economies inEurope.
I only recently heard of Moldovawhen grocery shopping. On the shelveswas a jar of plumjam(butter) stating it was a “Product ofMoldova.” I am very fond of plum butter or as Hungarian and Slovak countries call it “lekvar.” After I got home – after reading the label – I started to check out the country.
As well as buying this warm-spicy plumconcoction, you can make it at home. It is especially easy if you use a crock pot/slower cooker. Or you could always stand over a hot stove to make it.
Plum Butter
3 ½ - 4 lbs. plums* ½ cupwater + 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tsp. ground cinnamon ½ tsp. ground cardamom ½ tsp. nutmeg Start by leaving skins on the plums, but wash, slit & pit. Simmer in water for 1 or 2 hours, stirring every so often so plums will breakup. Add additional water if necessary. Stir so evenly mixed. Place in crock pot/ slow cooker for 8 – 10 hours (overnight) on low. There is no need to stir – just a quick stir before adding the brown sugar& spices. Pourmixture into a blender or food processor& puree until smooth. If it too thick you can always add a little more water and blend in well. It is best stored in a glass jar with a good lid and refrigerated. It is great with everything, especially with baking. My favorite of way to enjoy is to take twocookies (sugar, short- bread or ginger snap cookies) spread plum butter in the middle.
FruitButter Thumbprint Cookie
(using Plum Butter) 2 ½ cupsall-purposeflour’ ¼ tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. allspice 1 cup unsalted butter – roomtemperature ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract ½ cup fruit butter Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Creambutter & sugar together until fluffy.
Whisk all dry ingredients together. Combine sugar mixture, dry ingredients, egg & vanilla until you form dough. Wrap in plasticwrap & chill for at least 2 hours -up until a day. Break dough off and form 1” balls – place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Push down in the center of each ball with your thumb. Fill each hole (thumb print) with fruit butter. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on rack.
Romanian cuisine is most influenced by Ottoman, German, Serbian, Bulgarian and Hungarian dishes. They include a wide variety of soups – suchasvegetable, tripe, calf foot and fish soups. An ingredient important to their soupsisanacidsuchaslemon juice or vinegar. Romanians distill a strong brandy made from plums.
Mamaliga is a national dish of Romania and Moldova. Depending on your location – grits, polenta ormamaliga boils down to a corn flour porridge. According to folklore, if your portion of mamaliga has a crack appearing on the top, an unexpected trip lies ahead for you.
Basic Mamaliga
3 cups water 1 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. butter 1 2/3 cups medium grind cornmeal
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Bring water to a boil in a large enough saucepan, add salt and butter. Begin stirring the water in one direction. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of cornmeal into the swirl. Re- turn the water to a boil & add in remaining cornmeal. Stir continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat down and continue to stir until it thickens to consistency desired. Some like thick and some thinner – when slicing it is usually done with a string. Cheeses and other foods are often mixed in.
CELEBRATELIFEEVERY DAY!
Let me hear from you: banjack303@verizon. net. Search YouTube for Look Who’s Cooking as well as phoenixvillenews. com for this column. Find Bette on Facebook by searching “Bette Banjack’s Downtown Kitchen.”