Romanian Christmas traditional menu by Sebastian Iordache, 5 A

1. TRIPE SOUR SOUP
Ingredients
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2 pounds/1 kg tripe (fresh, not
processed),
Veal,
1 leg Veal or other pieces of Veal,
4 qts salted water,
water,
carrot,
1 carrot,
parsnip,
1 parsnip,
1 whole Onion (peeled),
leaves,
2 bay leaves,
Berries,
a few pepper Berries,
yolks,
2-3 egg yolks,
2 tablespoons vinegar or half a lemon
half
Directions
1. Wash and clean the tripe and
Veal.
Veal.
water,
2. Set to boil in the salted water,
together with the carrots,
carrots,
Onion,
parsnip and Onion, bay leaves
pepper.
and pepper. Boil at medium heat
until tender.
3. Take the meat out, let it cool
and then cut it in strips, like
noodles.
4. Move the meat to another pot,
and strain the boiling liquid.
5. Let it boil a few more minutes.
26. Aside, beat 2-3 yolks with the
juice.
vinegar or lemon juice.
incorporate
7. Then slowly incorporate into the
liquid in the pot.
8. Taste to see if it is salty and
sour enough and serve
immediately.
immediately

2. CABBAGE ROLLS
Ingredients
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Directions
1. Grind the meat with the crustless bread
cabbage,
1 large cabbage, 1 3/4 lb/750 g ground
slice (previously soaked and squeezed dry) and
meat (mixture of Pork and Beef is
Onion.
a raw Onion.
recommended),
rice,
1.
2. Place in a bowl and mix with rice,
4 large onions,
onions,
dill, pepper,
dill, pepper, salt and finely chopped Onion
rice,
2 tablespoons rice,
lard.
slightly fried in two tablespoons of lard.
1 bread slice,
2.
3. Mix everything well. Core the
lard,
3 tablespoons lard,
cabbage with a sharp thin knife and then
5-6 tomatoes or 1 tablespoon tomato
blanch it with borsh. Then carefully remove
sauce,
the cabbage leaves, one by one, so that they
salt,
salt,
do not tear.
pepper,
pepper,
3.
4. Cut larger leaves in 2 or 3 and then
dill,
chopped dill,
place a little meat in each cabbage piece and
1 qt/1 l Borsh
roll in. The smaller the rolls are, the tastier
sour cream
they are.
4.
5. Place a layer of rolls in the pan
(take a deep one), then cover with a layer of
cabbage,
chopped (julienned) cabbage, then a layer of
tomatoes.
thinly sliced tomatoes. Do this layering until
all the rolls are made. The last layer must be
tomato slices or add tomato sauce. Add a
lard,
heaping tablespoon of lard, pour the borsh and
simmer
let simmer on top of the range for 30 minutes.
5.
6. Then place in the oven so that the
liquid is reduced
6.
Serve with sour cream.

3. PORK, JELLIED
Ingredients
• 3 lbs/1,5 kg pork feet and/or
head,
• 1 Onion,
• 2 carrots,
• 1 parsnip,
• 1 parsley root,
• 1 celery root,
• 2 bay leaves,
• 3-4 juniper berries,
• 3-4 garlic cloves,
• Salt
Directions
1. Wash and clean the feet and/or
head. If hairy, singe. Split the feet
in two lengthwise and break the head
with the mallet.
2. Place in a large pot and cover with
3water so that there are 3-4 inches
of water above the Pork pieces.
Boil over slow to medium heat.
Remove the foam as it forms. Then
salt,
add salt, vegetables, bay leaves and
berries.
juniper berries.
3. Cover the pot almost completely.
Boil until the meat falls off the
bones.
bones. Remove the bones and place
the meat on the bottom of one or
several deep plates.
garlic,
4. Chop the garlic, add some salt and
mix with the meat broth. Strain and
then pour on top of the meat in
that
plates. Refrigerate so that it gels.
5. To obtain a nice, clear jelly you
have to boil slowly, with the pot
almost covered. The tastiest Pork
jelly
is
made
out
of Pork feet and ears. You can use
Beef feet or a mixture of Pork and
Beef feet.

4. WALNUT SWEET BREAD
Ingredients
• Regular sweet bread dough.
Filling:
• 10 oz/300 g ground walnuts,
walnuts,
• 1 cup milk,
cup
• ¾ cup sugar,
• ¼ cup rum,
• Vanilla.
Directions
1. Melt the Sugar in the warm milk
with vanilla in a pot on the range.
2. When the Sugar is melted, add the
walnuts and keep stirring.
3. After a few minutes of boiling, and
after the filling has thickened,
rum.
remove from heat and add rum. When
the filling is cold, roll a sheet of
dough about one finger thick,
uniformly spread the walnut filling
on top and roll like a jelly roll.
4. Grease a bread pan, place the roll
inside, let rise for a while and then
set in the oven to bake at medium
heat.

5. Romanian Christmas Traditions
In every area there is a special way of celebrating Christmas.
For example, on Christmas Eve some people are going around the village and
collecting all the things they have borrowed during the whole year to their neighbours.
In other areas, the parents put money in their children’s pockets in order to
have a wealthy year.
Also, on Christmas Eve some Romanians use to put the bread under the table
too bring luck in the house.
In some parts of the country there is a tradition called “ Walking with the
icon”, which symbolize the Birth of Jesus Christ. In the North of Moldavia the
Christmas Eve Dinner is prepared with special food and kept covered until the priest
comes to the house. Nobody else is allowed to see the Christmas Eve table before the
priest. The priest is blessing the table, is the first trying the food and only after this,
everybody else is invited to the table.
A special Romanian tradition is “ Cutting the Pig on Ignat” coming all the
way from the end of The Middle Ages. Every single part of the pig is used, including
the blood. The farmers are making many kinds of sausages, special Christmas plates
and reserves for the whole winter.
Christmas songs and wishes are heard all around, candles and lights are
lightning the dark, happy children are running on the little streets waiting for Santa to
come to their houses!
Merry Christmas!