Romanian culture
Romanian culture is rich and varied. Like the Romanians themselves, it is fundamentally defined as the meeting point of three regions: Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Balkan Peninsula, without being able to be fully included in any of these three. Romanian identity was formed on a substrate of Roman and Dacian elements (the Dacian element is subject to debate), to which other influences were added. During the end of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the main influences came from: Slavic peoples who migrated and settled in the current neighboring countries with Romania: Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, and even in Poland and Russia; medieval Greeks and the Byzantine Empire; of the Hungarians and Saxons of Transylvania. Modern Romanian culture has evolved over the last 250 years or so, with a strong influence from Western culture, particularly French and German, although the most recent is British and American influence.
History
Origin
The origin of the Romanians is a controversial subject, due to the few written mentions during the Middle Ages, and due to territorial and political interests. There are two sure things:
- Romanian language is an romance language. Moreover, some cultural heritage of ancient Rome is evident, thanks to the customs of Romanians and affinities with other Latin nations.
- The Romanian people who appear in sources of the X century are already Christian, and Christianity seems to have been adopted in Romanian lands since centuries before, with Latin influence. The medieval Romanians adopted Orthodox Christianity, under the influence of Constantinople.
Some customs, some names and a substratum of words in the Romanian language are considered Dacian heritage, but the issue is controversial. The theory of Dacian-Romanian continuity was important for the Romanian national revival of the 19th century, but some aspects still need to be clarified. The work is sometimes made difficult by some forms of Romanian nationalism or those of Romania's neighbours, for example some Hungarian historians prefer to consider that the Romanian people formed only south of the Danube, while some Bulgarian historians prefer to consider that the Romanian people formed only north of the Danube. In reality, it is possible that the Romanian people formed as a large ethnic group, both north and south of the Danube.
Birth of a Nation
Between the 11th and 14th centuries the medieval principalities Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia appeared in the area of the Carpathian Mountains. Most of the Romanian culture developed in the territory corresponding more or less to the current state of Romania.
Transylvania came under Hungarian influence towards the end of the 11th century, and therefore the evolution of Romanian culture there is somewhat different from that of Wallachian and Moldavian Romanians. The Hungarians brought Catholicism as a religion, as well as Saxon settlers in the south, and Székely in the east. One of the most important cultural personalities born in Transylvania was Nicolaus Olahus ("Oláh" in Hungarian means "Wallach"), a historian, politician and bishop in the Kingdom of Hungary, and one of the most important humanists in Europe. An important document from the 16th century is the letter Neacşu de Câmpulung wrote to the mayor of Braşov, announcing the imminent attack by the Ottoman Turks. The letter is the first attested document in the Romanian language, written, according to the custom of the time, in the Cyrillic alphabet.
Wallachia and Moldavia were located on important trade routes, often crossed by Polish, Saxon, Greek, Armenian, Genoese or Venetian traders, routes that connected them with the culture of medieval Europe. Grigore Ureche's chronicle, "Letopiseţul Ţării Moldovei" ("The Moldavian Land Chronicles"), dealing with the period between 1359 and 1594, is an important source of information about the life, events and personalities of Moldova. It is also one of the first Romanian texts of a secular nature; Considering the quantity and importance of the information it offers, it is perhaps the most important Romanian document of the 17th century.
Towards the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, European humanism influenced chroniclers such as Miron Costin or Ion Neculce, who continued the work of Grigore Ureche. Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia, was a great patron of the arts, and a local figure of the Renaissance type. During the reign of Şerban Cantacuzino, the monks of the Snagov Monastery (near Bucharest) published in 1688 the first Bible translated into Romanian - "Biblia de la Bucureşti". The first successful attempts to write poetry in Romanian belong to Dosoftei, a Moldavian metropolitan, who published in 1673 a book of metrical psalms.
Dimitrie Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, was a great figure of the medieval period (if one can call it medieval) in Moldova. He was a prolific man of letters, interested in philosophy, history, music, linguistics, ethnography, and geography. The most important works of his about the Romanian regions are & # 34; Descriptio Moldaviae & # 34; of 1769, and "Hronicul vechimii a romano-moldo-valahilor" ("Chronicle of Antiquity of the Romanian-Moldo-Wlachs"), the first critical history of Romania.
Classical culture
In Transylvania, despite constituting the majority of the population, Romanians were considered a "tolerated nation" by the rulers of the region, and were not proportionally represented in political life and in the Transylvanian Diet. Towards the end of the 18th century, a Romanian emancipation movement took place, known as the "Şcoala Ardeleană" ("The Transylvanian School"), a movement that emphasized the Roman origin of Romanians and created the modern Latin alphabet for the Romanian language. The movement's representatives also accepted the pope's leadership of the Romanian Church of Transylvania, thus forming the United Greek-Catholic Romanian Church. In 1791 they sent a petition to Emperor Leopold II of Austria, called "Supplex Libellus Valachorum", based on the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen", in which they called for equal political rights for Romanians in Transylvania, thus beginning the national revival movement.
The end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century was marked in Wallachia and Moldavia by the reigns of the Phanariot princes; thus, the two principalities were influenced by the Greek world. Greek schools appeared in the principalities, and in 1818 the first Romanian School was founded in Bucharest, by Gheorghe Lazăr and Ion Heliade Rădulescu. Anton Pann was a renowned novelist, Ienăchiţă Văcărescu wrote the first Romanian grammar, and his grandson Iancu Văcărescu is considered the first important Romanian poet.
The revolutionary year 1848 had its echo in the two Romanian principalities and in Transylvania, and a new elite emerged from the 1848 Revolution: Mihail Kogălniceanu (writer, politician, Prime Minister of Romania), Vasile Alecsandri (poet, playwright and politician), Andrei Mureşanu (author of the lyrics of "Deşteaptă-te, române!") and Nicolae Bălcescu (historian, writer and revolutionary).
The union of Wallachia and Moldavia in 1859 brought with it the consolidation of Romanian life and culture. Universities in Iaşi and Bucharest were founded by Alexandru Ioan Cuza, and the number of cultural establishments increased considerably. The new prince, and later King of Romania, Carol I, was a devoted leader of his country, and, along with his wife Elisabeth, an important patron of the arts.
A great impact on Romanian literature was the literary circle "Junimea", founded by men of culture who rallied around the literary critic Titu Maiorescu in 1863. The circle published his own journal, "Convorbiri Literare", to which, among others, Mihai Eminescu, important romantic poet, Ion Creangă, brilliant storyteller, Ion Luca Caragiale, important Romanian playwright, contributed. During the same period Nicolae Grigorescu and Ştefan Luchian laid the foundations of modern Romanian painting; the composer Ciprian Porumbescu is from the same period.
In Transylvania, the emancipation movement became better organized, and in 1861, an important cultural organization, ASTRA ("Transylvania Association for Romanian Literature and the Culture of the Romanian People) was founded in Sibiu, and supervised by the Orthodox Metropolitan Andrei Şaguna. Thanks to her, a significant number of Romanian books and newspapers were published, and between 1898 and 1904 he published a Romanian Encyclopedia. Among the most prominent personalities of the period are the novelist Ioan Slavici; the novelist Panait Istrati, a fervent communist but soon disillusioned with Stalinism, of which he was one of the first critics; the poet and writer Barbu Ştefănescu Delavrancea, the poet George Coşbuc, the poet Ştefan Octavian Iosif, the historian and founder of the Romanian press in Transylvania George Bariţiu and "Badea" Gheorghe Cârţan, a simple Romanian pastor, who thanks to his actions became a symbol of the Romanian emancipation movement.
The Golden Age
The first half of the 20th century is considered by many to be a "golden age" of Romanian culture, and it is the period where it reached a level of international affirmation and a strong connection with the main European cultural trends. The major artist who had the most influence on world culture was the sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi, a central figure of the modern movement and a pioneer of abstraction.
The relationship between traditionalist and West-European trends was a topic that generated heated controversy, and attracted several notable cultural personalities. The philosopher, expressionist poet and playwright Lucian Blaga can be cited among the traditionalists, while the founder of the literary and cultural circle "Sburătorul", Eugen Lovinescu, represents the so-called group "westernizing", which had the purpose of bringing Romanian culture closer to the culture of Western Europe. Also, George Călinescu was a complex writer, who among other literary creations, produced the monumental "History of Romanian Literature, from its origins to the present day".
The beginning of the 20th century was also a prolific period for Romanian prose, with personalities such as the novelist Liviu Rebreanu, who described the struggles in traditional society and the horrors of war, Mihail Sadoveanu, a writer of novels inspired by the medieval history of Moldavia, or Camil Petrescu, a writer who stands out for his analytical prose. In the drama, Mihail Sebastian was an influential author, and, with the increase in the number of theaters, the number of actors increased, with Lucia Sturdza Bulandra being the most representative actress of the time.
Along with the popular poet George Topîrceanu, a poet of great importance was Tudor Arghezi, the first to revolutionize Romanian lyric poetry after Eminescu. We must also mention the poems of George Bacovia, considered the most important Romanian symbolist poet, whose works take place in a space of neurosis and despair, sometimes chewed by an atmosphere of splint. Another important poet was Ion Barbu, actually a mathematician, who wrote a series of 'hermetic' poems. Tristan Tzara and Marcel Janco, founders of the Dada movement, are of Romanian origin ("tzara" comes from the Romanian word for "country").
Also during the golden age, figures such as Mircea Vulcănescu, Dimitrie Gusti, Alexandru Dragomir, or Vasile Conta emerged in Romanian philosophy. The period was dominated by the figure of the historian, writer and politician Nicolae Iorga, who published more than 1,250 books and 25,000 articles during his lifetime. As far as music is concerned, the composers George Enescu and Constantin Dimitrescu and the pianist Dinu Lipatti became internationally famous. The number of prominent painters also increased, with names such as: Nicolae Tonitza, Camil Ressu, Francisc Şirato, Ignat Bednarik, Lucian Grigorescu, Sabin Popp or Theodor Pallady. In medicine, a great contribution to human society was the discovery of insulin, by the Romanian scientist Nicolae Paulescu. Gheorghe Marinescu was an important neurologist, and Victor Babeş was one of the first bacteriologists. In mathematics, Gheorghe Ţiţeica and the mathematician and poet Ion Barbu stood out.
After World War II
Romanians in exile
After the Second World War, due to the occupation of Romania by the Red Army and the imposition of a communist regime in Romania, a large number of cultural personalities fled the country, and some managed to influence the international cultural scene. The most prominent are: the playwright Eugen Ionescu (known in France as "Eugène Ionesco"), creator of the theater of the absurd and the first Romanian elected to the "French Academy"; the historian of religions and writer Mircea Eliade; the essayist and philosopher Emil Cioran. Ioan Petre Culianu successfully continued Eliade's work in the United States.
Well-known Romanian musicians of the period include conductor Sergiu Celibidache - principal conductor with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and later the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra - and Constantin Silvestri, principal conductor with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Gheorghe Zamfir was a virtuoso of the panpipe, and made this instrument known around the world, and was also a composer and performer for several films. Composer and architect Iannis Xenakis was born and grew up in Romania.
George Emil Palade was a professor and biologist who studied cells, the first Romanian to receive the Nobel Prize, in 1974, for "describing the structure and function of organelles in cells& #3. 4;. Elie Wiesel, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, was born in the Romanian city of Sighetu Marmaţiei.
Culture inside communist Romania
In Romania, the communist regime imposed rigorous censorship in all aspects of life, and tried to use the cultural world as a means to better control the population. Two currents appeared: one that glorified the regime, and another that tried to escape censorship.
The first stream left almost no works of lasting value, but the second one managed to leave us valuable works, which not only managed to escape censorship, but were highly appreciated by the Romanians of that time. Personalities such as the writer Marin Preda, the poet Nichita Stănescu, the poet and playwright Marin Sorescu, or literary critics such as Nicolae Manolescu and Eugen Simion belong to the second current. Most of the dissidents who did not choose to emigrate lived under close surveillance by the authorities, sometimes under "house arrest" or "forced domicile"; some even decided to retire to isolated monasteries (since religion was also prohibited under communism). Most of his works were published after the 1989 Romanian Revolution, particularly the works of the philosophers Constantin Noica, Petre Ţuţea or Nicolae Steinhardt.
Publishing activity was intense during the communist era. For the purpose of 'educating the masses', many books were published. Large-scale publishing houses appeared, such as "Cartea Românească" or "Eminescu Publishing", which included book collections such as "Biblioteca pentru Toţi" ("The Library for Everyone"), with more than 5000 titles. In general, a book was never published in fewer than 50,000 copies. Libraries were built in every town, and stocked with the latest books. Also, thanks to low prices and the fact that everyone was employed, virtually everyone was allowed to have a personal collection of books at home, even if the quality of the paper was not always high. It should be mentioned that, for example, Mihai Eminescu, today considered an important Romanian poet, was initially frowned upon by the communist regime, being considered too "mystical" and & # 34; bourgeois & # 34;, but the discovery by the communist authorities of his poem & # 34; Emperor and proletarian & # 34; He made them change their attitude towards him and his works. When the communists came to power, they had prepared a list of prohibited books and authors, sometimes it's hard even to realize the selection criteria, so some valuable authors were completely ignored during the 45 years of communism in Romania. It is true that the collections published during his regime included some foreign writers who had nothing to do with communism, but the censorship also applied to their works.
Also during this period, there was a considerable increase in the number of theaters, even in the smallest cities. The Bucharest National Theater was also built, right in the center of the city, a reference building for Romanian culture. In small towns there were so-called "Worker Theatre", semi-professional institutions. Partly due to the scarcity of other means of entertainment, the theater was very popular during communist Romania, and the number of actors increased. All the theaters were financed by the State, and the plays had to pass the ideological control. Progressive theaters only survived in a few isolated cities, with a rather local audience.
Cinemas followed a similar evolution to theaters; sometimes the same building served as a cinema and theater. The movies were very popular, and, from the 1960s, foreign films became quite common. Western films were heavily censored, sometimes entire sections were cut, and dialogue translated into words accepted by the regime. Most of the foreign films featured domestic themes, which could be viewed by all members of the family. The first successful Romanian films were short films, based on the works of Ion Luca Caragiale. Funded by the government, during the 1960s, an entire industry was developed in Buftea, near Bucharest, and some western-influenced or historical films were highly appreciated by the public. The most prolific director of the era was Sergiu Nicolaescu, and one of the most beloved actors was Amza Pellea, who had some trouble with the regime.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989
After the fall of communism in 1989, there was an explosion of publications that had previously been banned. Books were published in many copies, sales were good, and a large number of publishing houses appeared. However, a saturation point was reached, and businesses began to go bankrupt, due to uninspired management and a lack of subsidies. Some private publishers changed their profile and began to publish commercial books, especially translations, while state publishers went into decline, despite some state aid. Despite all this, some publishers survived thanks to their marketing tactics, and the increase in the quality and appearance of the published books. The most outstanding current editions are "Humanitas" in Bucharest, "Polirom" in Iaşi, or "Teora" - oriented towards technical books and dictionaries. Some publishing houses opened their own bookstores, and private bookstores generally replaced state-controlled ones.
Newspapers with cultural themes followed a similar evolution. A few managed to survive and increase their level of quality, maintaining their critical spirit. "Veche Dilemma" ("The Old Dilemma") and "Magazine 22" are still respected in Romanian culture, and "Observator Cultural" it is a smaller weekly, but just as respected in cultural circles. There is also a state-funded radio station - "Radio România Cultural" and a TV channel - "TVR Cultural", but they are not very popular.
Several young writers established themselves in literary circles, but only those who achieved notoriety have gotten financial support to publish their books. "Uniunea Scriitorilor" should, in theory, support young writers without financial means, but the "Union" She herself is facing financial problems. The best-known writers, such as Mircea Cărtărescu, Horia-Roman Patapievici, Andrei Pleşu, Gabriel Liiceanu or Mircea Dinescu, are appreciated in Romanian society, but they need to dedicate part of their time to other activities, mainly journalistic. The links with the "diaspora" Romanian are now very close, and even Romanian writers from another language, like Andrei Codrescu, who writes mainly in English, can become popular.
The Romanian theater suffered a lot from financial problems, and its popularity also decreased because of entertainment media such as television and recently the Internet. Some theaters survived thanks to their prestige (and some subsidies), others thanks to their good administration. Experimental and independent theaters also appeared, and are popular in college towns. "Uniter" - the Association of Romanian Theaters - offers annual prizes for the best performances. The directors most appreciated by critics are Silviu Purcărete, Tompa Gabor, Alexandru Dabija and Alexandru Darie. Among the most appreciated actors, both from the old and the new generation, are Ştefan Iordache, Victor Rebenciuc, Maia Morgenstern, Marcel Iureş, Horaţiu Mălăele, Ion Caramitru, Mircea Diaconu, Marius Chivu, and others.
Due to lack of funds, the Romanian film production industry suffered during the 1990s; since 2005, state aid for films has been highly controversial. Well-known directors like Dan Piţa or Lucian Pintilie had more or less continuous success, while young directors like Nae Caranfil or Cristi Puiu became highly respected. Caranfil's film "Philanthropic" and that of Puiu "The death of Mr.Lăzărescu" They won prizes at international festivals such as Paris or Cannes. Also, thanks to the lower expenses that have to be spent there, Romania became a popular destination for international film producers, and a lot of money was invested in big studios.
The number of annual cultural events has increased in Romania in recent years. Some sporadic events, such as the "2005 Bucharest CowParade", were well received, and annual events and festivals also attracted the interest of many. Very popular are the medieval festivals in the cities of Transylvania, which combine street theater with music and re-enactments of battles, to enliven the atmosphere.
In the theater, a "National Festival" takes place, and one of the most important international festivals is "The Sibiu Theater Festival", while in cinematography, festivals like "TIFF " in Cluj, "Dakino" in Bucharest and "Anonimul" in the Danube Delta they are even more popular internationally.
As far as music is concerned, the biggest event is the "George Enescu" Classical Music Festival, but international festivals like "Jeunesses Musicales" and the Sibiu and Bucharest jazz festivals. In fact, Sibiu was the European Capital of Culture in 2007, along with Luxembourg.
Tradition
Folklore
- Main article Romanian Folklore
The most curious phenomenon in Romanian culture is the survival of folkloric traditions to the present day, thanks to the rural character of Romanian communities, which resulted in an exceptionally creative and vital traditional culture. The rich folkloric traditions were nourished by various sources, which take us back even before the Roman occupation. Traditional art includes wood carving, pottery, weaving and sewing costumes, home decorations, dances, and various folk music. Ethnographers tried to collect, during the last two centuries, as many elements as possible: the Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the Romanian Academy are currently the main institutions that systematically organize the data and continue the research.
Wood was the main building material, and highly decorated wooden objects were common in old houses. In Maramureş the wood was used to create impressive structures, such as churches or gates, in Dobruja the windmills were made of wood, and in the mountainous regions the hardwood was even used to cover the roofs. In order to preserve traditional houses, many village museums were created in the 20th century in Romania, such as the Village Museum in Bucharest, the ASTRA Museum of Folk Traditional Civilization in Sibiu or the Oltenio Village Museum in Râmnicu Vâlcea.
Linen was the most common material for clothing, combined with wool during winter or colder periods. These are embroidered with traditional motifs, which vary by region. Black is the most used color, but red and blue are predominant in some areas. Traditionally, men wore a white T-shirt and trousers (those made of wool were called "iţari"), with a wide leather belt, usually over the T-shirt, and a waistcoat at times of leather and brocade. They wore boots or a simple leather shoe, tied around the foot, called "opincă", and wore a cap whose model varied by region. The women wore a white skirt, and a T-shirt with a vest. They also wore an embroidered apron called "şorţ" or "cătrinţă", and covered their heads with a "basma"; on special occasions, such as religious festivals or market days, they wore more elaborate costumes.
Music and dance represent an important part of Romanian folklore, featuring a wide variety of musical genres and dances. The party music is very lively and shows Balkan (Serbian and Bulgarian), Hungarian and Ukrainian influences. But sentimental music, however, is the most appreciated, and Romanians consider their "doina" unique in the world. Maria Tănase is considered today one of the best singers of popular music, while Grigore Leşe and "Taraful Haiducilor" They enjoy celebrity. The dances are animated and practiced in Romania by a large number of amateur or professional groups, thus keeping the tradition alive; "Time" is one of the most famous group dances, but male group dances like "Căluşari" they are very complex and were declared by Unesco "Masterpieces of oral tradition and intangible legacy of humanity".
- Main article Mythology of Romania
Romanians had, since time immemorial, a myriad of customs, tales and poems, about love, faith, kings, princesses, and witches. Ethnologists, poets, writers and historians have tried, in recent centuries, to collect and preserve stories, poems, ballads and have tried to describe as best as possible the customs and habits related to different events of the year. The customs related to certain times of the year are "colinde" - Romanian Christmas carols, "sorcova" on New Year's Day, or "Mărţişor" on the 1st of March, beginning of spring. There are also customs that are probably of pagan, pre-Christian origin, such as "Paparuda", spells related to rain during the summer, or the popular theater chewing "Ursul" (the bear) or "Capra" (the goat) in the winter.
Perhaps the most successful collector of folk tales was the novelist and storyteller Ion Creangă, who, using picturesque language, gave tales like "Harap Alb&# 3. 4; ("The White Moor") or "Fata babei şi fata moşneagului" ("The old woman's daughter and the old man's daughter"). Also, the poet Vasile Alecsandri published a variant of the popular ballad "Mioriţa" (& # 34; The little sheep & # 34;) which became the classic, a sad, philosophical poem, around a single action: the plan of two shepherds to kill the third, because they envied his fortune. Another prolific publisher was Petre Ispirescu, who, in the 19th century, published an impressive number of volumes containing short stories and short stories from popular mythology. They are focused on popular characters such as Prince "Făt-Frumos", Princess "Ileana Cosânzeana", negative characters such as the "Zmeu" or the "Căpcăun" (more or less ogre), the dragon ("Balaur", Dacian word) or supernatural beings such as the "Zână" (fairy) good or "Sfânta Vineri" ("Holy Friday), or the evil "Muma Pădurii" ("Mother of the Forest").
Spirituality and religion
Romanian spirituality was influenced by its connections to the Christian world of the East. Romanians thus acquired a unique sense of identity, which could be expressed using two "clichés": "An island of Latinity in a Slavic ocean" and "The Only Latin Orthodox People". There are, by comparison, few Catholics (both of the Roman and Greek rites) and a small group of Protestants, while more than 90% of the population is Orthodox. Despite the diminishing role of the Church in the lives of the most recent generations, the Romanian Orthodox Church remains the most respected institution among Romanians. In the rural world, church attendance is still high, and also among the elders of the cities. Also, despite some accusations of collaboration with the communist regime, remarkable personalities maintained their verticality and became universally respected, such as the priest Dumitru Stăniloae, considered one of the greatest theologians in the world, in recent times.
Orthodox churches and monasteries exist throughout Romania, but traditionally only a few are built on a monumental scale. A large number of wooden churches are still intact in the villages of the Carpathian Mountains, but the most impressive are the Stave Churches of Maramureş, which push wooden building techniques to their limits. Byzantine influences can be found in most Romanian churches, but indigenous styles evolved in different periods and in different regions. In the north of Moldova, a particular style was used to build monasteries, of which the most important are the painted monasteries of Bucovina - Unesco World Heritage Sites, such as Moldoviţa, Punta, Suceviţa, and Voroneţ. In Muntenia, the Curtea de Argeş Cathedral was built in a Byzantine style, with Moorish influences, and a large number of churches have Greek influences, particularly those built during the 18th century, such as the Stavropoleos church, in the center of Bucharest. The "Brâncovenesc" style of Wallachian owner Constantin Brâncoveanu also evolved in Romania, and the monasteries of Snagov and Sâmbăta de Sus in Transylvania are classic examples.
Romanian Gastronomy
Romanians love to eat a wide variety of foods. A typical Romanian question is: "Do we live to eat, or do we eat to live?". A large number of sayings and proverbs deal with the activity of eating. From the thanks given by the child: "Thank you for the meal, it was good and tasty, and the cook was beautiful" even the most philosophical "Thank you, Lord, for I have eaten, and now I am hungry again", "Love passes through the stomach" or "Appetite comes from eating", or the sarcastic "The pig eats anything, but it gets fat for others", until the expression of total satisfaction: "Eat well, drink well, in the morning I woke up dead".
Romanian recipes present the same influences as the rest of Romanian culture: since Roman times the pie called "plăcintă", a word derived from the Latin " placenta". The "moussaka" ("moussaka"), from the Bulgarians, eaten as "zacuscă"; from the Austrians, "şniţel" ("schnitzel") and "covrigi" (hot pretzels; from the Hungarians, pastries; the list can go on.
One of the most common foods is "mămăliga", similar to the Italian "polenta", considered by many to be time the poor man's food - hence the expression "He doesn't even have mămăligă on the table", but it came to be generally highly appreciated, in recent times. Pork is the most used in Romanian cuisine - "The best fish is still pork", but beef is also appreciated, and a good meal based on of lamb or fish is never rejected.
It is also worth mentioning as a typical dish the ""Sarmale"", basically they are rolls of pork meat mixed with rice and wrapped in sour cabbage. The way of preparation and the recipes vary according to the region. They are specially prepared at parties such as Christmas and in different types of celebrations, weddings, baptisms, etc.
Depending on special events and periods, different recipes are used. At Christmas, the tradition was to slaughter a pig and make "cârnaţi" (comes from "meat") - long sausages - or "caltaboşi" - sausages prepared with liver and other intestines- or "piftie" - a type of jelly made feet, head and ears; also "tochitură" (a type of stew), served together with mămăligă and wine ("so the pig can swim"...) and of course sweetened with the traditional "cozonac . 4; - sweet bread with nuts or lokum ("rahat" in Romanian)
Lamb is traditional for Easter: main courses are roast lamb and "drob" - a cooked mixture of giblets, meat and fresh vegetables, similar to "haggis" Scottish, which are served with "pască" (sweet pie with cheese). For Easter Romanians usually paint eggs, initially they were only red (because of the blood of Jesus), and there is also a tradition of "încondeiate" (more or less "decorated") in Romanian villages.
Wine is the main Romanian drink, and its tradition spans more than two millennia. Romania is the ninth largest wine producer in the world, and exports have recently started to grow. A great domestic variety (Fetească, Grasă, Tămâioasa) or international (Italian Riesling, Merlot, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel) are produced. Also, Romania is the second largest plum grower in the world, and most of the plums are made into the famous "ţuică" (brandy refined once) or "pălincă" (brandy refined two or more times). The beer is also highly appreciated, generally a blonde pilsener, German style.
Minority Legacy
Hungarians and Germans from Transylvania contributed to the region's architecture, here including numerous churches, fortifications, and town centers. Also, historical events in Romanian culture took place in Transylvania: the first letter written in Romanian was to the mayor of "Kronstadt" (German), today Braşov, and the first book published in Romanian was in "Hermannstadt", today Sibiu.
Romania was the cradle of Yiddish theatre, and to this day in Bucharest there is a "Hebrew State Theatre," even though the Jewish community is not that big at present.
Architecture and Engineering
In the technical field, it is worth noting the spectacular achievements in the field of aviation, achieved by Traian Vuia, Aurel Vlaicu, Aurel Persu, and Henri Coandă, and also the work of George Constantinescu in the field of engineering and the sonic. In the architectural and engineering domain, Bucharest came to be known as "Little Paris", the longest bridge in Europe was built by Anghel Saligny, connecting Dobruja with the rest of Romania, Peleş Castle, castle of the Romanian monarchy, is one of the most beautiful modern castles in Europe, etc.
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