I visited Transylvania and I didn’t get bitten.
This last summer I visited Transylvania, Romania. And fully embraced the culture, gastronomy and way of life. Within the experience I got to meet simple and nice people in their habitat, traditions and specifics customs. Transylvania is situated on the west and central part of Romania and for many people the obscure land of Dracula…yet, not only. The meaning of the word Transylvania is “beyond / far side of the forest” and for the majority of people is a distant and mythical place.
The arrival was to Timişoara and in the way to Deva (3 hours away) I met one of the biggest Romanian symbols – Mr. Mititel. Romanians call them mic, which is a typical dish and oh boy, is this good! Mici (plural) are some spicy and garlicky meat balls with pork, lamb and beef. The first contact with the local gastronomy was made, but there was more to come. The gastronomy is rich in flavours, and all the food ingredients you may taste are really natural. You can eat a lot of meat but you will for sure be served a bucket full of vegetables. Fish served along with polenta is also unmissable in the river regions, mostly in the mountains.
I cannot end this yummy topic without mentioning the famous “Ciorbă“, meaning broth(soup). The most popular one is Ciorbă de burtă, which basically means tripe soup. There was this famous Romanian journalist, Radu Anton Roman, who said that Ciorba de burtă “… looks like is made for drunk coachmen but it has the most sophisticated and pretentious mode of preparation in all Romanian cuisine. It’s sour and sweet, hot and velvety, fatty but delicate, eclectic and simple in the same time.”
People in Transylvania know how to receive and this is notable in the passionate way you are treated. Along the whole journey I was received with care, love and curiosity too.
The landscapes are breathtaking and during my stay, I had the company of the Carpathian Mountains. They are spread all over the region and although Romania can be extremely hot during summer, Transylvania was blessed with this geography and its forests. And they are never far away! So whenever that unbearable heat strikes you, you know what to do, head to the Mountains! And so we did. We headed to The Retezat Mountains, which are a nest of freshness and quietness.
In fiction the Carpathians are also mentioned as being the home for a race of people who survive by drinking the blood of humans, but without killing the prey, unlike the vampires. These figures don’t live just in fiction, they are also still very present in the oral tradition of many places in Romania, especially Transylvania. I found out that there is another figure stuck within people’s beliefs, besides the vampire, which is “Strigoi“ (the Romanian word that stands for living dead, immortal vampire and people with magical capacities, including the ability of transforming into animals). With such a rich folklore, there are many many stories left to be told, and I can assure you will be delighted… and perhaps frightened!
In short, Romania is a country full of surprises, with lively traditions and inspiring folklore. It is a country with wonderful, secret and peaceful landscapes, where getting lost turns into a fantastic adventure. It’s what you can call home because of the warm welcome and the natural rich flavours in its cuisine.
After all these being said, I have one thing left to say – visit Romania!
by Edgar
