The title is something of a misnomer
because Irina Georgescu’s beautiful book, published in 2020, covers cooking
from all parts of Romania. Now resident
in the UK, she draws on her homeland’s cuisine which reflects its complex
history, with influences as disparate as Turkish, Greek, Hungarian, Saxon and
Slav. The resulting volume is a labour
of love.
After the introduction, an appetiser
setting out Georgescu’s stall and noting that Romanian food has been largely
ignored, the book is divided into sections covering: small plates, starters and
salads; breads and bakes; borș and ciorbă; main courses; desserts; and pickles,
preserves, compotes and drinks. Additional sections are devoted to seasonal
influences and superstitions in Romanian cooking; Romania’s culinary heritage;
and Romania’s cultural values, emphasising tradition and artisanship, and a
strong regional identity.
All recipes are clearly set out, and
although some look a bit tricky, many are easy to do, so the book will appeal
to all levels of competence.
Occasionally there is a slight adaptation to take into account
availability of ingredients, but generally they are presented as handed down
from generation to generation. Weights
are given in imperial and metric.
Beautiful photographs are sprinkled through the book, showing both the
dishes and evocative Romanian scenes.
In addition to the recipes, we are told
about Georgescu’s family, the challenges of the communist period, and the
personal influences that shaped her love of cooking. A need for versatility was caused by years of
shortages and having to make the most of a little, using cheap
ingredients. The philosophy was to waste
nothing – hence the use of offal, though many of the recipes are plant
based. Faced with uncertain times, there
is much to be learned here about cooking economically.
The Romanian devotion to family and
friendship, and dining as a communal activity, are evident throughout. Georgescu has documented what is largely an
oral tradition, recipes passed down from mother to daughter (though Georgescu’s
father is not exempt from kitchen preparations). Every page evokes her love of her country and
transmits it to the reader. Even though she
was born in Bucharest there is a romantic ambience, with the pastoral never far
from the surface.
Reading Carpathia is like being immersed in a travel guide, allowing the
reader to tour Romania through its food.
One finishes it knowing more than about what Romanians eat, it is a window
on the national identity. The book is at
once an act of memory and a connection from east to west. Georgescu hints that one of her purposes in
writing it was to help outsiders get to know the Romanians better and dispel
misconceptions, and she has achieved that ambition, in addition to celebrating
a cuisine possessing many delights.
