When I travelled to Romania, I didn’t expect the food to be so varied, steeped in history and quite frankly, so delicious! From joining a street food tour in Bucharest, devouring a feast in Brasov and snacking on street food in Constanta, I connected with this country through its friendly people, interesting culture and marvellous food.

If you’re keen to taste traditional Romanian food then you’ll love this article. I’ve put together a list of the best Romanian traditional dishes so you know exactly what to eat in Romania or cook for yourself at home.

Disclosure: This blog post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no extra cost to you, I may earn commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you see a link or banner, this could take you to that product/service website. For more information, see my Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Jump to…


Romania Essentials

Booking.com

What is the Food of Romania?

Image of Romania flag flying in Bucharest Romania

Traditional food from Romania consists of hearty meals, famous desserts, dishes specific to occasions and soups that portray the country’s culture.

If you want to know what do Romanians eat, pork is one of the main things that is important in Romanian cuisine. Pork is in many Romanian recipes and is loved all over the country so you’ll see that many of the below 31 foods are Romanian pork dishes.

A few things to know is that Romanian lunch is the main meal of the day, the national food of Romania was once considered the peasant food, and everything eaten is seasonal so you won’t find cherries in the winter, for instance.

Below I have listed the food in Romanian translation and the English in brackets.

So what food is popular in Romania? Let’s find out!

List of Romania Food: 31 Foods of Romania


Romanian Side Dishes


Smantana (Sour Cream)

I’ll start with a common sauce used around the world but exhausted in Romania: Sour cream!

Sour cream is served as a side with almost every meal and if it’s not, it’s probably already in the Romanian dish. Sour cream is even used in the best Romanian dessert recipes.

Mujdei (Garlic Sauce)

Image of 4 mici on a white plate with white bowl of garlic sauce in Romania

Keeping Dracula away? Or just a phenomenal thing to add to any meal? I’ll go with both!

In Romania they use garlic sauce as a condiment with many dishes especially mici and other meats. The sauce can come either mixed with water and oil but sometimes it contains the same things a lot of Romanian recipes are. You guessed it, sour cream!

Read Next: How to Get to Dracula’s Castle!

Zacusca (Red Pepper Spread)

Zacusa is a vegetable paste made from roasted red peppers (sometimes a mix of other vegetables like mushroom and eggplant), oil, tomato and onions eaten on bread and has been a popular Romanian food for over 100 years.

You can find this as an appetizer on every Romanian menu as well as in the supermarkets to use for yourself.

Mamaliga Romania (Polenta)

Image of Sarmale and Mamaliga, Pork and Sour Cream in Brasov Romania

Polenta is one of the most popular and traditional foods in Romania. It is boiled corn with salt, oil, sour cream and sometimes cheese to make a smooth mashed portion.

The Danube Delta region of Romania grows corn and after boiled and mashed with butter becomes mamaliga, one of the staple accompany Romanian food dishes and sometimes subtitutes bread. 

For the most common side foods in Romania Mamaliga tops it (just look at how many times it is mentioned in this article with Romanian main dishes such as Sarmale).

Pickled Anything!

Image of pickled options in market including picked vegetbles and pickled fruit in Romania

Want facts about Romanian food? Just about everything is pickled in Romania and loved by all!

Don’t be surprised when your main meal (even your soup) is served with pickled vegetables, salad or even fruit. Yes! The thing I could not believe was the pickled watermelon! 

Telemea de Sibiu (Sheep Cheese from Sibiu)

Bird's eye view of Sibiu CHeese in small cubes on a white plate in Bucharest Romania

Sibiu is a town in Transylvania which produces excellent types of cheese popular all over Romania. One of the best cheeses to try is the semi-hard, salty cheese made from the Sibiu sheeps’ milk.

You don’t have to travel to Sibiu to find this as it’s well stocked in major cities like Bucharest.

Other cheeses include Nasal, Cas and some covered in pine bark for flavour.

Pretzels

If you’re wondering what do they eat in Romania for breakfast then pretzels is a pretty strong answer. There are many bakeries and cafes that serve on-the-go breakfast items like pretzels and in many varieties such as poppy seed, sesame or raisin. Pretzels are a particularly popular Bucharest street food!

Other popular breakfast foods include omelette, yoghurts (particularly Sana), and lots of Romanian pastry recipes like potato pasta with sugar, plum dumplings, strudels and pumpkin pies.

The best place to get a pretzel, though, is on the beach in Constanta from the sellers who walk up and down. Fresh and with great views!

Jumari (Greaves)

Greaves are fried bacon and pork fat to make them crispy and served with onions as a tasty starter or snack.

Paine Cu Cartofi (Transylvanian Potato Bread)

Image of three slices of Transylvanian potato bread in a wicker basket in Brasov Romania

Potato bread is leavened bread with mashed potatoes that gives the loaf a soft texture and rich taste.

It is a common side dish on any Romanian menu which is usually served with Romanian foods like soups, stews and Goulash.

The traditional way of baking this bread, and with its long waiting time, is distinct to Transylvanian culture and passed down through generations making it a special Romanian culture food.


Romanian Meals


Sarmale (Cabbage Rolls) AKA The National Dish of Romania!

Close up Image of Sarmale and Mamaliga, Pork and Sour Cream in Brasov Romania

Sarmale is the most famous food in Romania which consists of pickled cabbage wraps containing minced meat, rice and onions. It’s usually served with sour cream and mamaliga with sprinkled herbs on top. 

My meal as pictured above contains the Romanian national food of a portion of 4 Mici with sour cream, mamaliga and deep fried pork. Perfect!

Mici (Skinless Sausage)

Mici is my favourite Romanian traditional food and one of my favourite street foods in all of Europe! Mici is and is usually served as a portion of 3 or 4 with a beer and side of mustard. I first tried mine on a Bucharest food tour and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Mici (sometimes written as mititei) is mixed meat with lots of spices in the shape of a sausage without skin. It’s so popular with locals that you’ll often see it served at stalls in markets, as main meals or snacks in restaurants and even at special occasions. 

Legend has it that a butcher serving his meat was unable to provide the skin on the sausage so he took a chance and sold it without any casing and it’s been a traditional food in Romania ever since. 

Look for a Mici Romanian recipe to make your own!

Ciorba (Sour Soup)

Ciorba is a sour soup and a traditional Romanian meal that is preferred over a sweet soup. In many farmers markets in Romania, like Obor in Bucharest, you can find a home-made liquid that is commonly used in Ciorba. 

There are several varieties of the traditional Romanian soups including with meat or beans for the vegetarian style and usually served with bread and sour cream.

Look out for ‘Ciorba de Burta’ which is a beef tripe soup and one of the Romanian dishes you will find on every restaurant menu.

Tochitura (Pork Stew)

Tochitura is a pork stew and one of the easy Romanian recipes to make yourself although trying a homemade version in the heart of the country would be unbeatable. The pork is cut into cubes and served with mashed polenta (mamaliga), cheese and a fried egg on top. Some places do a mixed meat stew instead of just pork.

This is a popular in Transylvanian cuisine but there is also a version of Tochitura found in Moldova.

Stews are typical Romanian food so you can also find other meat or vegetable stews known simply as ‘Tocanita’ or ‘Tocana’.

Shaorma (Kebab)

Shaorma is a food popular in Romania. And it tastes delicious here. I’ve been to many places where the kebabs are sub-par but Romania, especially Constanta, is one of the best places for it in my opinion. 

Note: There is a specific way you order certain street food in Romania like shaorma. You order what you want at what appears to be the first till, get your receipt, then queue at the window where the kebab is being made until your receipt is taken and then you wait for your food. 

Pomana Porcului (Deep Fried Pork)

Image of Sarmale and Mamaliga, deep fried Pork and Sour Cream in Brasov Romania

This is a dish containing various parts of the pig that have been fried in its own fat and served with pickles and mamaliga.

The name actually translates to ‘alms of the pig’ as it is sacrificed for the Christmas dinner. But it is not just a Christmas food in Romania, you can enjoy it all year.

Ciulama De Pui (Creamy Chicken)

Ciulama de Pui is chicken and mushroom in a creamy sauce (often sour cream is used) served with hot vegetables and mamaliga.

You can also find ‘Ciulama’ which is without Chicken and therefore a Romanian vegetarian food.

Ardei Umpluti (Stuffed Peppers)

Image of peppers in Obor Market in Bucharest Romania

The same way you find how to make Romanian Sarmale is the same except the stuffing is in peppers rather than cabbage.

The top of a bell pepper is removed to add the minced meat, rice, onions and spices before being put back on top and baked in the oven. (I personally prefer Ardei Umpluti over Sarmale but don’t repeat that ;))!

Drob (Meatloaf with Egg)

Drob is a mix of minced lamb, herbs, milk-dipped bread and onions made into a loaf with an egg through the centre and is a traditional Easter food in Romania.

This is something I did not try while in Romania but often seen it on other blogs about food to eat in Romania.

Chiftele (Meatballs)

Chiftele are hand-made meatballs usually pork but sometimes chicken with potatos, breadcrumbs, garlic, dill and eggs. Chiftele can be eaten with bread and mustard (like mici), with pasta, in a Ciorbe or on their own.

Very much like Kofta in the Middle East, Chiftele is one of the popular Romanian foods with locals and tourists alike.

Fried Fish

You can find many types of fish like sardines, carp, basa or trout that is coated in cornflour or batter and deep fried before being served with garlic sauce and polenta. This is a popular Romania dish in the Danube Delta.

Cotlet de Porc (Pork Chops)

Image of pork chops, caramelised onion and sour cream in Brasov Romania

Given that many traditional Romanian foods contain some sort of pork, it’s only right that one of the most popular Romanian dishes is pork chops.

I tried this meal cooked on a charcoal grill served with caramelised onions, rosemary potatoes and a creamy, garlic sauce. It was ‘delicios’ (delicious in Romanian)!

Ciorba de Fasole (Transylvanian Bean Soup)

This bean soup with ham is a traditional Transylvanian food eaten mainly in the summer.

While it is usually served in a type of cauldron, the bean soup in a bread bowl is the best way to try this dish as well as have an authentic foodie experience in Romania. It reminds me of Cullen Skink I had in Scotland. On menus look out for ‘in paine’ so you know the soup is served in a bread bowl. Yum!

This is one of the few meals you can find with just vegetarian food in Romania (as long as you find the version without ham, of course)!


Desserts in Romania


Papanasi (Doughnuts with Sour Cream and Jam)

Papanasi is the famous Romanian dessert. This is the best doughnut you’ll find in Romania It comes as a portion of two. 

Papanasi is baked with sour cream and cheese in the dough and shaped into two large balls. The texture is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The dessert is then covered with cream and jam (cherry and blueberry are usual types).

Gogosi (Pastry)

Image of pastries in a shop window in Romania

Papanasi may be the best doughnut but a close second in the pastry world is Gogosi which are easy Romanian desserts to find in bakeries over the country.

Gogosi are small, yellow, puffy doughnuts covered in powder sugar which are so soft to bite into they almost feel like you’re eating air (so you may as well take a dozen)! It can be filled with jam, chocolate or even cheese.

Langosi (Flatbread with Cheese)

Another sweet Romanian street food is Langosi which is a fried, square-shaped flatbread with sugar and salty cheese sprinkled on top.

Langos originates from Hungary but is a popular street food Romania has adopted.

Cozonac (Sweet Bread)

Image of cozonac bread on top of a cheese counter in Bucharest market in Romania

Cozonac is a Romanian pastry often thought of as a Romanian Christmas food and Easter food but it can be found at many bakeries and supermarkets at any time of year.

Although it is in the shape of a loaf of bread, its flavours and texture is more like a cake especially as it’s often filled with chocolate or raisins. If you look inside the loaf it will have swirls of the filling as above.

Cornulete (Mini Croissants)

Image of cornulete pastries in shop window of a bakery in Constanta Romania

Cornulete are traditional Romanian desserts that are also found in Moldova. They are in a small, crescent shape and resemble croissants in France and cornetto in Naples street food.

The pastry dough can be citrus or vanilla and popular fillings include Turkish delight, raisins, jam and chocolate. Cornulete are popular as Romanian treats at Romanian holidays, Christmas or other occasions.

Coliva (Cake)

Coliva is a boiled wheat cake with seeds, raisins, berries, or pomegranates.

There are lots of Romanian food traditions that are saved for holidays such as Christmas and Easter. A more unknown occasion are the commemorations for the dead, much like Day of the Dead in Mexico and Coliva is a Romania traditional food cooked in memory of loved ones.

Coliva is a Romanian dessert served at funerals or memorials for those who have passed. Not only at funerals but on the First Saturday of every season, also known as Soul Saturdays, Coliva is a traditional food of Romania served at these times.


Romanian Drinks


Palinca / Tuica (Romanian Spirits)

Image of Romanian spirits on shelves in Bucharest Romania

Palinca is a liquor drunk in Romanian since 1500’s and made from different fruits like plum, apple, pear or cherry and used as a digestif and sometimes as a ‘welcome’ in homes.

Palinca is a Romanian drink similar to Ouzo in Greece, Grappa in Italy or Rakija in Croatia.

Tuica is another Romanian alcohol but is used only from plums. Palinca is stronger than Tuica as it’s distilled more times (and it’s strong stuff).

Fun fact: There is such thing as ‘glass music’ in Romania which is made and played specifically for socialising over drinks.

Romanian Wine

Image of wine options in a wine shop in Bucharest Romania

The food and wine Romania produces is used from the Romanian grapes that are grown along the same region as those from Bordeaux and Tuscany which, in the wine world, is a pretty big deal.

I visited an impressive wine shop in Obor Market in Bucharest which had dozens of wines on tap to sample and there are Bucharest Wine Tours available to try the local types.

One of the best Romanian wine to try is Fetească Neagră.

Best Romanian Beer

I tried several beers but the best are Ursus (probably the most popular Romanian beer with bears on the bottle), and Timișoreana (from the namesake city).

Recommended Tours for Traditional Food From Romania

If you’d prefer to enjoy the food by learning from a guide, getting inside stories and taken to the best places to try popular food in Romania, try one of the following from different places in the country:

Walking Food Tour of Sibiu – Tour Southern Transylvania and learn about 11 different cultural influences on the food of this region including the famous cheese as mentioned above, wild pear brandy and famous Romanian dishes from Sibiu.

Morning Brasov Tour – A food tour to three restaurants in Brasov to taste some of the best food in Romania and learn about life in Communist times through the local food still enjoyed today.

Cluj-Napoca Hidden Corners Food Tour – A five hour tour of this historical city to sample typical food of Romania, local wine, Romanian specialities and a sweet treat.

Taste Romania in Timisoara – Try five of the dishes from this article while walking and learning about the landmarks of Timisoara in Western Romania.

If you’re only in the capital, try one of these tours for the best food in Bucharest Romania!

See My Other Food Posts

Thanks for reading about these Romania foods. Was any of your fave Romania dishes or drinks on this list?

Traditional Foods of Romania: Pin it!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply