Spices

For me spices are very important in cooking. I have a tone of them. And every time when shopping I buy some new spices. Especially I like asian spices, caucasian, indian etc.

What do you think of spices? and what spices can you advise to me? maybe you also got some secrets ^)

The New Year Party

Here is a pitcture of the party food at the New Year. I was cooking for more than two days, and I was helped by one of my friends, named Victoria. The Party was great. Everyone liked the food.

About Moldvavian Cuisine

I found today a very nice description of Moldavian Cuisine, by a tourist who had the opportunity to taste all those tasty things in Moldova, in a local family who invited him. Taken from here.

"The food consisted of lots of cheeses, small breads, whole small fishes on bread with cheese, smoked fish with Moldovan pevo(beer), a variety of very nice Moldovan, Ukrainian, and Romanian wines, stuffed peppers with sour cream, salads of chopped vegetables, dumplings stuffed and served with garlic sauce, homemade liquors of different berries and fruits. ... We ate this amazing pork to which the likes I have never tasted again I inquired to how this meat tasted so good, and the reply was, they feed their animals in Moldova better food than America and the marinating process is also very important. I will try to get this recipe in order to attempt it one day myself and share....My stay in Moldova was surreal, exciting, and made wonderful by the type of people who live there. If you ever have the fortune to stay in a Moldovan’s Home, you are very lucky and will be well fed by way of very delicious food. There is a minimal American influence, which I really enjoyed, the culture is unique. The hospitality was amazing and is highly recommended by me"

I think it is very beautiful, the person described his impressions about being in Moldova. And I'm sure that everyone else would feel the same.

Special Equipment

Ranging from cake pans, can openers, colanders, eggrings, poachers and holders, food dishes and proportioner , food pans and food containers to other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets and accessories, the Moldavian cuisine needs a diverse cooking equipment set in order to produce the most sophisticated Moldavian dishes. You should consider insulated food carriers if you are transporting the food and a full set of kitchen linens and uniforms if you wish to look like a pro. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Moldavian food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slicers, and kitchen thermometers, measuring cups and measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers and strainers. Essential utensils like serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking “arsenal”.

Preparation Methods for Moldovan Cooking

Moldavian cuisine uses elements from very various cooking traditions burrowed from their neighbors and developed from their own traditional dishes. While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for Moldavian cooking, we should point out that attention to details is important in the Moldavian cuisine. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential- either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. The diversity of the vegetables and cereals found in Moldavia is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportions differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Moldavian regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Moldavian dishes and cure and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes.

Moldavian Cuisine

Moldavia is a small country situated in Eastern Europe and it borders Romania to the west and Ukraine to the North, South and East. Moldova is a rich country with fertile soil; the favorable natural and climatic situation favors to the growth of grapes, fruits and numerous vegetables which bring a unique flavor in Moldavian cuisine. Moldavian cuisine maintained some influences along with time passing by; you can find some Greek elements, like placinte or invartite, Mediterranean characteristics such as yeast, vegetable oils, spicy sauces, preparing food with wine; Turkish influences are shown by the tendency to prepare mutton meat; and all these influences improved the Moldavian cuisine. Traditional cuisine of Moldavia is based on crop such as corn, Wheat, rice, potatoes and other cereals; as for meat people from Moldavia prefer poultry, Pork and Beef meat; fish is very rarely used in Moldavian cuisine.

By Geographic Area and Style:

This north eastern region of Romania has had Russia as a neighbor and occupier throughout its history, and Russian influences are often noticed. The traditional bors is a creamy soup made out of tomatoes, and although it is not solely prepared in Moldova, it is most popular here. Other dishes like “parjoale” - dumplings containing Veal meat, onions and garlic are also very popular in this region. Other interesting dishes, such as “poale-n brau” are relatively unknown in the other Romanian regions and are mostly appreciated in Moldova. Moldavian cuisine is also famous for its precise and clear taste. The use of cream, or light sources prepared with a little bit of flour is characteristic for most of the dishes in Moldova.

People from Moldavia prepare many dishes using corn. The traditional Moldavian dish called mamaliga is made of water, salt and corn flour. The corn is also used in soups and garnishes, it is boiled and baked. The vegetables play an important role in Moldavian cuisine. Garnishes and independent dishes are prepared from them. Vegetables are often boiled, baked, stuffed, stewed and salted, and rarely fried. The most appreciated vegetables in Moldavian cuisine are green beans, Lentil, tomatoes, sweet pepper, eggplants, vegetable marrows, potatoes, onions and garlic. People from Moldavia also consume a lot of milk products like yoghurt, milk cream, cheese in various forms and animal products such as eggs. In the eastern side of Moldavia, cabbage pies is the most common dish, cabbage pies are prepared after a Slavic method of salting and souring.