june-2011

[ feature ]
TIRGU MUREŞ
TIRGU MURES’
PICTURESQUE
CITY CENTRE
and why. Transylvania’s great
book of recipes was influenced
by the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, which the region was
part of for centuries. Smokeddried
bacon, pork, sour soup
with tarragon, caraway soup,
ciorbă de s¸ălate cu mămăligă
(lesser celandine soup with
polenta), gulyás or paprikás are
the culinary landmarks.
Traditional Romanian
cuisine is spectacular, but
humble and creative, perhaps
OUTDOOR
FESTIVALS
DOMINATE
THE SUMMER
MONTHS
46 WIZZ MAGAZINE // JUNE/JULY 2011
because Transylvanians lived
under the occupation of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, and
the region only became part
of Romania in 1918. Many
of the ingredients are cheap,
and others, like mushrooms
and lesser celandine, grow in
the wild. With few resources,
Romanian housewives manage
to prepare rich and nourishing
food for their families, and
chef S¸tefan, who works at
Ciuleandra, a Romanian
restaurant, knows how it’s
done. His ciorbă de fasole cu
afumătură (sour bean soup with
smoke-dried bone) is based
on a centuries-old recipe, but
it's constantly being improved,
and at some point along the
way, someone added paprika.
His restaurant is a few minutes
from Palatul Culturii (the
House of Culture), a building
renowned for its bas-reliefs,
frescos and stained glass
windows, and for the two
Venetian mirrors standing one
in front of each other, creating
a feeling of infinity.
As for the ambassador of
the sister cuisine, Laura – a
Hungarian chef who happens
to have a Romanian-sounding
name, – says she couldn’t
live without her home-made
dishes. Theses she prepares for
Tempo Laci Csárda Restaurant.
Her favourite is a well-cooked
paprikás, a recipe passed down
from the elders. Her cuisine
is abundant, spicy and sweet
and desserts like vargabéles
BEST
TRADITIONAL
BITES
Tempo Laci Csárda
Str Morii 27, +40 265 213
552, www.tempo.ro
Hungarian restaurant
probably serving the best
gulyás and paprikás in
town. Flavours complement
traditional music on violin,
dulcimer and double bass.
Ciuleandra
Piat ¸at Victoriei 36, +40
(0)365 730 083
This recently opened
restaurant has a generous
list of traditional dishes,
including mus¸chiulet ¸ de porc
păstoresc (shepherd’s pork
tenderloin) and tocănit ¸ă de
vit ¸el (veal stew).
Jo
Str Livezeni 4,
+40 (0)365 808 848
Authentic Transylvanian
dishes such as sour soups or
stews in this Hotel Jo venue.
Décor include lashed fur,
ceramics and hunting guns.
Excalibur
Str Revolutiei 29, +40
(0)265 210 120
Medieval restaurant that
invites guests to pick up fried
meat, vegetables and cheese
from wooden platters with
their hands. Battle scenes
adorn the walls.