In Roumania you must never be astonished at the
items set down in the bill of fare ; and if “ bear ”
happens to be one, try it, for bruin does not make at
all bad eating. The list of game is generally surpris-
ingly large, and one learns in Roumania the difference
there is in the venison which comes from the different
breeds of deer. Caviare, being the produce of the
country, is a splendid dish, and you are generally asked
which of the three varieties, easily distinguishable
by their variety of colour, you will take. The Rou-
manian caviare is smaller than the Volga caviare. A
caviare salade is a dish very frequently served. The
following are some of the dishes of the country :
Ciulama , chicken with a sauce in which flour and
butter✪ Ciulama are used ; Scordolea , in which crawfish, garlic,
minced nuts✪ Scordolea, and oil all play a part ; Baclavay a cake
of almonds served with strop of roses✪ Baclavay. These three
dishes, though now Roumanian, were originally in-
troduced from Turkey.. Ardei Ungelute is a dish of
green pepper, meat, and rice✪ Ardei Ungelute ; Sarmalute are vine
leaves, or leaves of the white cabbage, filled with
meat and served with a thick preparation of milk✪ Sarmalute ;
Militei is minced beef✪ Militei fried on a grill in the shape
346
Roumania 347
of a sausage. Cheslas and Mamaligu%%ay the food of
the peasant, much resemble the Italian Polenta , and
are eaten with cold milk. Ghiveci , a ragout with
all kinds of vegetables✪ Ghiveci mixed in it, is a favourite
dish of the country.
The Restaurants of Bucarest
Capsa’s Restaurant takes a high place amongst the
good restaurants of the world. Capsa is a Frenchman
who has learned his duties as cook and capsa’s, Calea
confectioner in some of the best houses Victoriei
of Paris, and coming to Bucarest, he has brought
French taste to bear upon the cookery of the country,
and at his restaurant there is always a choice of dishes
of Bulgaria, and of French plats. Capsa’s establish-
ment on the main street is a confectioner’s shop which
is used as a cafe, for one of the pleasant customs of
this very Parisian town of the East is for people to
sit at midnight outside the confectioners’ shops eating
ices or drinking long cold beverages through straws.
The door of the restaurant is a few yards down the
by-street. The door is changed for jalousies in hot
weather. The walls of this restaurant are painted
to resemble green and yellow marble, and the pillars
which support the roof are green with gilded capitals.
A great white stove is the only un-Parisian object in
the restaurant. There is a show-table on which cold
delicacies and fruit are placed. The clientele of Capsa’s
reminded me of those of the Anglais and the Ermi-
tage in Paris. Many of them are elderly, all are
smart, and on race-meeting days the talk is of horses,
for these well-groomed gentlemen are mostly owners
of race-horses and members of the Jockey Club.
Capsa, sharp-featured, wearing a little moustache
and frock-coated, goes from table to table taking
with him a dish of some cold delightful meats or a
34 B 1 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe
Page 188 · 7 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1903. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
In Roumania you must never be astonished at the items set down in the bill of fare ; and if “ bear ” happens to be one, try it, for bruin does not make at all bad eating. The list of game is generally surprisingly large, and one learns in Roumania the difference there is in the venison which comes from the different breeds of deer. Caviare, being the produce of the country, is a splendid dish, and you are generally asked which of the three varieties, easily distinguishable by their variety of colour, you will take. The Roumanian caviare is smaller than the Volga caviare. A caviare salade is a dish very frequently served. The following are some of the dishes of the country : Ciulama , chicken with a sauce in which flour and butter are used ; Scordolea , in which crawfish, garlic, minced nuts, and oil all play a part ; Baclavay a cake of almonds served with strop of roses. These three dishes, though now Roumanian, were originally introduced from Turkey.. Ardei Ungelute is a dish of green pepper, meat, and rice ; Sarmalute are vine leaves, or leaves of the white cabbage, filled with meat and served with a thick preparation of milk ; Militei is minced beef fried on a grill in the shape
Roumania 347
of a sausage. Cheslas and Mamaligua the food of the peasant, much resemble the Italian Polenta , and are eaten with cold milk. Ghiveci , a ragout with
all kinds of vegetables mixed in it, is a favourite dish of the country.
The Restaurants of Bucarest
Capsa’s Restaurant takes a high place amongst the good restaurants of the world. Capsa is a Frenchman who has learned his duties as cook and capsa’s, Calea confectioner in some of the best houses Victoriei of Paris, and coming to Bucarest, he has brought French taste to bear upon the cookery of the country, and at his restaurant there is always a choice of dishes of Bulgaria, and of French plats. Capsa’s establishment on the main street is a confectioner’s shop which is used as a cafe, for one of the pleasant customs of this very Parisian town of the East is for people to sit at midnight outside the confectioners’ shops eating ices or drinking long cold beverages through straws. The door of the restaurant is a few yards down the by-street. The door is changed for jalousies in hot weather. The walls of this restaurant are painted to resemble green and yellow marble, and the pillars which support the roof are green with gilded capitals. A great white stove is the only un-Parisian object in the restaurant. There is a show-table on which cold delicacies and fruit are placed. The clientele of Capsa’s reminded me of those of the Anglais and the Ermitage in Paris. Many of them are elderly, all are smart, and on race-meeting days the talk is of horses, for these well-groomed gentlemen are mostly owners of race-horses and members of the Jockey Club. Capsa, sharp-featured, wearing a little moustache and frock-coated, goes from table to table taking with him a dish of some cold delightful meats or a
34 B 1 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe
Records on this page
CiulamaScordoleaBaclavayArdei UngeluteSarmaluteMiliteiGhiveci