Romania food: dishes, cities, breakfast, lunch and dinner

Romanian cooking blends local traditions with influences from the Balkans, Central Europe, and the Ottoman world. Meals are built around pork, maize, and vegetables, with a fondness for sour soups and festive foods tied to Orthodox customs. Distinctive dishes and drinks mark the seasons and religious calendar.

Ciorbă soups are soured with bran, vinegar, or sauerkraut juice.
Mămăligă, a cornmeal porridge, is a staple across Romania.
Pork is the main meat, especially for festive meals.
Țuică, a strong plum brandy, uses most of Romania’s plum crop.
Fasting periods mean vegan foods are common in shops and restaurants.

The cooking of Romania

Romanian food draws on the country’s farming and pastoral roots, shaped by its mountains and plains. Over centuries, it has absorbed dishes and techniques from neighbors and past empires, including the Ottomans, Greeks, Austrians, and Hungarians. Meals often feature pork, maize, and a wide variety of vegetables. Sour flavors are common, especially in soups called ciorbă, which are soured with ingredients like fermented wheat bran or vinegar. Many foods are shared with Moldova and other Balkan countries, but some, like mămăligă (cornmeal porridge), are especially central. Orthodox traditions influence what is eaten during fasting periods and holidays.

Staple foods in Romania

Maize, introduced in the 16th and 17th centuries, is a key staple, mainly as mămăligă. Pork is the most common meat, but beef, mutton, and fish are also used. Vegetables, cereals, dairy, and fruits are important, with cheese (brânză) having a long history. Potatoes, honey, and eggs are also widely used. Wine and plum brandy (țuică) are traditional drinks.

Sweets and drinks in Romania

Cozonac, a sweet bread with nuts, poppy seeds, or Turkish delight, is made for Christmas. Pasca, a sweet cheese pie, is served at Easter. Clătite are thin pancakes filled with jam, cheese, or meat. Wine has been made for thousands of years and is the main drink, with both local and international grape varieties. Beer is also popular, influenced by German brewing. Plum brandy (țuică) is widely distilled, using most of the country’s plum harvest.

From region to region in Romania

Romanian food varies by region, reflecting historical borders and local resources. In Moldavia and Wallachia, Ottoman and Greek influences are strong, seen in dishes like sarmale (stuffed cabbage) and chiftele (meatballs). The Banat region, with a Serbian minority, features cevapcici and other Balkan dishes. Transylvania shows Central European touches, such as schnitzel and goulash. Some foods, like mămăligă and sour soups, are found throughout the country.

At the table in Romania

Meals are often shaped by the Orthodox calendar, with fasting periods when only plant-based foods are eaten. Many dishes have vegan versions for these times. On Ignat’s Day before Christmas, rural families traditionally slaughter a pig and prepare a range of pork dishes. Meals can be elaborate during holidays, but everyday food is simpler, often centered around soup and mămăligă.

Festival and religious food in Romania

Christmas is marked by pork dishes like sausages, head cheese, and stews, made after the traditional pig slaughter. Cozonac sweet bread is served for dessert. At Easter, lamb is the main meat, with dishes like drob (offal loaf) and lamb soup. Pasca, a sweet cheese pie, is the festive cake for Easter.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Romanian cuisine", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Imam Bayıldı: AlexanderVanLoon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Olivier salad: Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Pljeskavica: Biso, CC BY 3.0, source

Smetana: Dobromila, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Moussaka: Fotograf: Dieter Mueller ( dino1948 ) Kamera: de:Nikon 885, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Borscht: Juerg Vollmer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source

Sauerkraut: Annakareninerussie, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Mămăligă: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Sarma: Garrett Ziegler, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Deviled eggs: Marshall Astor, CC BY-SA 2.0, source

Pörkölt: Ralf Roletschek ( talk ), GFDL 1.2, source

Chicken paprikash: Kobako, CC BY-SA 2.5, source

Cabbage roll: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Aspic: Gmelfi, Public domain, source

Salo: Roland Geider ( Ogre ), Public domain, source

Ćevapi: amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, source

Yakhni: АннаМариа (original image); derived version by Off-shell, CC BY 4.0, source

Dumpling: Kobako, CC BY-SA 2.5, source

Challah: Yoninah, Public domain, source

Banush: Trzewik, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Stuffed peppers: Alice Wiegand, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Kugel: Stuart Spivack, CC BY-SA 2.0, source

Drob: Sacha47, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Kishka: stu_spivack, CC BY-SA 2.0, source

Knedle: Cookinpolish, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

🇷🇴 The food of Romania