Via Transilvanica

 Via Transilvanica crosses Romania from the northeast, starting in Putna, all the way to the southwest, at Drobeta-Turnu Severin and the Danube. The trail passes through 10 counties, divided into 8 cultural-historical regions, covering a total of 1,600 km through diverse natural and cultural landscapes.

Nickname, El Camino from east Europe.

Starting point, Putna (monastery), north of the country.

The Putna monastery is a Romanian Orthodox monastery; as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Stephen the Great (and holy).

Stephen won 34 out of 36 fights, most famous one in 1475 at Vaslui when 

he had between 49k-50k people and 20 canons against 100k-120k turks + 12k mountain men.

End point of the Via Transilvanica hiking trail is Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

From north Bucovina you go through Vatra Dornei (also a ski resort) surrounded bt Bistrita mountains

 into Transilvania, near Bistrita (called 7 citadels by germans :))

then as you go south you have Sovata resort with Ursu salt lake and thermal springs,

then a bit to south - west Sighisoara, old town formed by sasi (german craftsmen) looks like a medieval city even today

there are in the region many nice villages that have fortified churches (7 are UNESCO...)

More to the south west you get into Terra Dacica, where most the ancient archaeological stuff is, from geto-dacians onward,

via goes near the Mures river, near Apuseni mountains

and it then goes south near Retezat mountains

to Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, 

and then even more south , Resita

and through some almost empty or/and hard to reach villages, one, Lindenfeld, with no habitants anymore, past Baile Herculane (oldest thermal springs resort) 

before reaching

THE END

Romanian traditional food

The national dish is...
Sarmale (cabbage rolls)

The Romanian word “sarma” is borrowed from the Turkish language – sarmak, where it means “to wrap”. Sarmale is just that – cabbage (in this case, sour cabbage) wrapped around minced pork, rice and sometimes vegetables. In some regions, vine leaves are used instead of cabbage. It is traditionally served hot with mămăligă (polenta) and a dollop of sour cream.

Mititei, also known as mici, are traditional Romanian skinless grilled minced meat rolls made from a mix of beef, pork, and lamb.

What Are Mici?
Definition: Small, cylindrical skinless sausages.
Name Meaning: The word "mici" means "little ones" or "small ones" in Romanian.
Texture & Secret Ingredient: Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and cold water or stock are mixed into the meat to make them juicy, fluffy, and tender.
Spices: Heavily seasoned with garlic, black pepper, thyme, coriander, anise, and savory.

How They Are Served
Accompaniments: Always served hot with yellow mustard, fresh white bread, and cold beer.
Sides: Frequently paired with French fries or pickled vegetables.

Ciorbe

Most of them, are actually a category of sour soups flavored with borș (fermented wheat bran).

Ciorba de burta: a traditional Romanian sour tripe soup made with tender beef tripe, a rich bone broth, garlic, and a velvety sour cream and egg yolk dressing.

Ciorba de fasole cu ciolan afumat (bean soup with smoked ham hock).

Tochitură: A rich, savory pork stew cooked with garlic and wine, served alongside polenta, grated cheese, and a fried egg








Zacusca sau salata de vinete (eggplant salad): Flavorful vegetable spreads made from roasted eggplants, bell peppers, and tomatoes, often eaten with fresh bread.





PS: other one favorite food I have, besides salata de vinete:
Ciorba cu perisoare:







What is Ciorbă de Perișoare?
The Name: "Ciorbă" means sour soup in Romanian, and "perișoare" means small meatballs.
The Meatballs: Made from minced pork (or a mix of pork and beef) combined with a bit of rice and finely chopped herbs.
The Broth: Packed with root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, celery root, and onions, simmered with tomatoes or tomato paste.
The Tang: Made sour traditionally using borș (fermented wheat bran), lemon juice, or sauerkraut juice.
The Herb: Finished with fresh lovage (leuștean), which gives the soup its distinct, aromatic flavor.

latest

 latest from garden, really last eggplants and wide beans

from TKMax :)

one of my first love, Tuborg originals

the other weekend in Lille, nice city, was a big street something festival:

before I left I made my first prickle jar:

me in my new religious outfit :)

more veggies!

First eggplant! Not sure why is spotted, actually dirty :)

also first cucumber, happy to see it, last year didn't get even 1

al

went to the sea, Zaandvoort, and seen this seal :)

went also to Kringloop place and got these, yaaiii

harvest start

hello there, I got this cute little fellow that looks alike Jar Jar Bings from a community garden fellow gardener clay worker hobbist

 

anyway the main thing: harvest started!!! yeiii

this garlic was seeded in October

I got myself a kitchen aid for dough and other stuff and tried it on pizza but I made a mistake and put way too much water for the amount of flour, next time...

we went Saturday to our Romanian garden and otherwise neighbours and had a nice BBQ and time:

where is my dog?

These are from a storm, taken from my attick window you see above