Whether you’re a Romanian living far from home or a curious foodie searching for new flavours, there’s something deeply comforting about enjoying a cuisine rooted in tradition. Romanian food is hearty, generous, and full of stories. Each dish carries the warmth of family gatherings, countryside kitchens, bustling village markets, and festive tables laid out with love.
Luckily, across the UK, more and more places, both physical and online, are bringing authentic Romanian food closer to everyone’s table. Let’s dive deeper into what makes it so special, where you can find it, and how you can bring a bit of its magic into your own home.
What you should know about romanian cuisine
Romanian cuisine is all about comfort, tradition, and bold flavours rooted in simplicity. From festive dishes prepared over several days to everyday staples enjoyed by generations, it reflects a rich blend of Balkan, Ottoman, Greek, Slavic, and Central European influences, while retaining a character uniquely its own.
Meals are often seasonal and tied closely to the rhythms of rural life. Winters call for hearty stews and smoked meats; summers abound in fresh vegetables, cheeses, and grilled dishes. Many recipes have been passed down orally, each family adding its own twist.
Take ciorbă de burtă, for example: a tangy tripe soup soured traditionally with borș (fermented wheat bran) or sometimes with sour plums. It’s finished with a generous swirl of cream, a touch of vinegar, and a few slices of fiery green chilli — a ritual in itself at Sunday lunches.
Or think of cozonac, the iconic sweet bread kneaded with patience and love around major holidays like Easter and Christmas. Filled with crushed walnuts, cocoa, raisins, and sometimes Turkish delight, its scent alone evokes childhood memories for many Romanians.
We couldn’t talk about Romanian food without mentioning mici — juicy grilled skinless sausages, seasoned with garlic, black pepper, and a hint of thyme. Served simply with mustard and bread, they are a national summer ritual, often enjoyed at picnics, barbecues, and even roadside diners called terase.
Fresh herbs are a constant presence: dill, lovage, and parsley give life to soups, pickles, and salads. Meanwhile, garlic becomes almost a second religion — mashed into mujdei, a pungent sauce drizzled over anything from fries to grilled fish.
Another everyday treasure is zacusca, a smoky, velvety spread made with roasted eggplants, peppers, onions, and sometimes mushrooms or beans, preserved in jars for the colder months. It’s a staple for breakfast or an easy, comforting dinner on a slice of rustic bread.
Where to buy romanian traditional products online
To cook these dishes properly, ingredients matter — and authenticity is key. Thankfully, several online stores now serve the Romanian community across the UK, offering everything from basic pantry staples to festive delicacies.
AS Market and similar specialised shops bring the real taste of home within easy reach. They stock essentials like traditional borș, made naturally from wheat bran, cornmeal, and thyme, perfect for authentic sour soups.
Other must-haves include:
- Pork rind (șorici): a crunchy delicacy often enjoyed as a snack or starter.
- Sweet jams: look for flavours like plum, rosehip, or even green walnut, cherished especially at breakfast or with cozonac.
- Homemade zacusca: from simple eggplant versions to more complex mixes with mushrooms or beans.
- Cheeses: like telemea (a type of brined cheese similar to feta) and cașcaval (a yellow semi-hard cheese).
- Traditional cured meats: such as slanina (smoked pork fatback) and cârnați afumați (smoked sausages).
For the full experience, you can even find traditional items like ie (the Romanian embroidered blouse), Romanian tricolor flag, and ceramic pottery, perfect for adding an authentic touch to celebrations or for gifting.
Enjoy a taste of romanian cuisine at home: Grilled “mici”
If there’s one Romanian dish that brings people together like no other, it’s mici. These flavorful, skinless sausages are made from a seasoned mix of beef, pork, and sometimes lamb, blended with spices like thyme, coriander, and paprika, and a touch of baking soda to achieve their characteristic springy texture.
A popular legend claims that mici were invented by accident in the 19th century at a famous inn in Bucharest, La Iordachi, renowned for its sausages. One night, when the kitchen ran out of sausage casings, the cook decided to grill the spiced meat mixture as it was. To everyone’s surprise, it became a huge success. Later, in 1902, the celebrated restaurant Caru’ cu Bere put mici on its menu officially, using a mix based primarily on beef.
Today, making mici at home is easier than ever. You can find ready-to-grill versions in many Romanian shops across the UK. Simply heat a grill or a griddle pan until smoking hot, cook the mici until charred and juicy, and serve with:
- Mustard (classic accompaniment)
- Fresh bread rolls
- Pickled vegetables or a simple salad
- Optional: a side of mujdei de usturoi (garlic sauce) for an extra kick.
Grilling mici is more than cooking — it’s about creating memories. Whether it’s a backyard BBQ or a casual Sunday lunch, mici have a way of bringing people together around the table.
Why romanian food captures the heart
What makes Romanian cuisine truly special is how it manages to be both comforting and unexpected. Every simple dish — a bowl of sour soup, a slice of smoky eggplant spread, a generous serving of grilled mici — tells a story of patience, resilience, and joy.
For those who grew up with these tastes, they are a passport back to their childhood Sundays, family reunions, and Christmases filled with laughter and tradition. For newcomers, they are an invitation: to slow down, savour the moment, and experience a culture where food is never just about eating — it’s about being together.
Now that so many Romanian dishes and ingredients can be found online and across local shops in the UK, it’s easier than ever to explore, share, and fall in love with this delicious corner of Eastern Europe.
Have you tried any Romanian dishes yet? If not, mici might just be the perfect place to start!
