WELCOME TO ROMANIA

WELCOME TO ROMANIA
I.
Answer these questions the best you can:
a. Which of the Romanian regions have you visited so far?
b. Which one did you like the best? Why?
c. Which one would you like to visit in the future?
II. Which countries do these dishes belong to?
III. i. Skim through the text and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false
(F):
a. Romanian villages are very modern nowadays.
b. You can learn about crafts in Romanian villages.
c. There are a lot of hotels in the rural areas.
d. Tourists can taste international dishes if they want to.
e. Moldavian food is rich in fats.
WELCOME TO ROMANIA 1/5
ii. Read the text again. Can you suggest other suitable subtitles for the first and second
parts of the text?
WELCOME TO ROMANIA
A. Rural tourism allows you to discover the wonderful countryside and people of Romania,
with its array of cultural treasures and diversified wildlife. Few places in the world have retained their
original customs, folk costumes, traditional crafts, tools and dishes specific to each area. The rural guest
houses have been constantly improving. The tourist offer also has cultural programmes set up to
discover the local customs and traditions or to learn certain crafts. There are also eco-programmes
including exploration of natural features in each locality. Some of the rural guest houses even have
skiing sessions on offer.
According to the experts, Romanian folklore is probably the most varied and traditional in the
whole of Europe. The beauties of the regional costumes which may be seen passing through villages
near Sibiu , in the Apuseni Mountains or Maramures are breathtaking. Transylvanian folk music
and dancing are well known abroad. The ‘Doina’, a distinctive ballad, gives expression to a wide variety
of feelings whereas dances like ‘Invartita’ or ‘Fecioresti’ demand great virtuosity.
In Romania you can admire unspoiled countryside where the traditional rural civilisation is still
alive. In the northern provinces of Maramures or Bucovina you will be able to discover old
handicrafts, friendly people, horse or oxen-drawn carriages. In the small towns and villages people have
changed their lifestyle very little over the years. Usually, in the rural areas you will find numerous guest
houses that offer interesting cultural and culinary options.
B. - TASTE THE ROMANIAN CUISINE
The rich and tasty food in Romania is influenced by foreign settlers such as Greeks,
Hungarians, Germans and Turks that have occupied the land in the past. These past influences have
allowed Romania to create its own unique gastronomy. Pork is the favourite main dish among most
Romanians but there is also a variety of beef, lamb and chicken dishes. Fish dishes are typical of the
Danube Delta. Most meals are complemented by sour soup which is a national specialty in Romania.
Also a variety of delicious cakes can be found at special events and during holidays. Tourists have the
opportunity to taste them all, especially if they want something different from international cuisine.
The main traditional dishes are: mititei, tochitura, mamaliga, sărmăluţe, papanaşi, cozonac,
poale in brau, zacusca, borsch and other types of sour soups flavoured with acids in different ways
with meat and vegetable specialties.
Romania’s rich and regionally varied gastronomy is very appealing to foreign visitors.
● Moldavia – Any Moldavian meal, rich in meat, sauces and very fatty cream, also has fresh vegetables
picked from the peasants’ gardens. Borsches are delicious, due to the fact that they are made sour with
cherries and green grapes. Here you will experience ‘chisca’ (a kind of sausage prepared with pig’s
entrails), but also pork jelly, ragout with beans and cabbage. All these dishes have a special taste in
Moldavia being made after old recipes and continuously improved.
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● Muntenia and Oltenia – the food in this part of the country is rich in spices. Oltenia sausages which
are famous all over the region are prepared from a mix of beef and pork, garlic, pepper and salt. The
soups are sour with sauerkraut brine or tomato juice and are flavoured with pimpernel and lovage.
● Transylvania – in Transylvania, the local people prepare smoked lard bacon, roast steak made in a
pot called ‘ceaun’, and the spinach and the cream of Sighişoara. With all these dishes, rich in sauces and
fat they serve ţuica and horinca, but also Transylvanian pies, baked in fat, full of cream, sugar and dill.
This region offers a great variety of over 50 cakes, too.
● Dobrogea – Greeks, Thracians, Persians, Turks, all passed by Dobrogea to eat a sea gudgeon or to
drink ţuica. Tripe soup (‘ciorba de burta’) and fish dishes are always on the table here. In the autumn,
fish dishes are often replaced by young wethers prepared in various ways (stews, joints roasted on the
spit).
Apart from the large variety of dishes, a reason for the Romanians
to be proud is their wines and their traditional alcoholic drinks. A
meal in Romania is incomplete without a drink of the local spirit,
ţuica, horinca and palinca which are plum brandies usually
enjoyed before a meal along with some appetisers. They vary in
strength, dryness and aroma according to the region. But if you try
this drink, beware; it does have a kick to it!
(http://www.discoverworld.co.uk/romania/rural-tourism-9.html Accessed 7 Mai 2012)
(http://www.discoverworld.co.uk/romania/taste-the-romanian-cuisine-49.html#article – Accessed7 Mai 2012 adapted)
iii. Read the text more closely and answer the questions:
1. What can you admire /see on the Romanian rural country roads?
2. What entertaining activities can you find in rural areas?
3. What do the Moldavians use to make their soups sour?
4. What is the most famous dish in Dobrogea?
IV. i. Match the dishes with their ingredients:
DISHES
1. MITITEI
2. TOCHITURA
3. MAMALIGA
4. SĂRMĂLUŢE
5. PAPANAŞI
6. POALE IN BRAU
7. ZACUSCA
8. COZONAC
9. BORSCH
THEIR INGREDIENTS
a. Vegetable stew, which housewives usually preserve for winter
b. Traditional holiday sweet bread filled with walnuts, poppy seeds or cream cheese.
c. Minced Meat Rolls with aromatic herbs.
d. Made from corn, a staple food that can be prepared in a variety of ways.
e. Cottage cheese doughnuts, topped with sour cream and fruit preserve,
f. Cheese pie, where the dough resembles the pleats of a woman’s skirt, brought together at
the waist
g. A sour soup made from fermented bran, bacon, potatoes and beef or chicken.
h. A mix of mince meat, rice and spices, rolled in cabbage or vine leaves
i. A hearty meat stew seasoned with onions and/or spices.
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ii. In the text, find underlined words or phrases close in meaning to:
a. undomesticated things ; b. exciting,/ mesmerising c. establish/found
d. attractive/ challenging; e. pickled cabbage; f. salted water;
g. aromatic herb; h. a baby ram; i. aromatic
iii. Here are some funny idioms about food. Match them with their idioms:
IDIOMS
MEANINGS
1. a big cheese
a. someone or something that one likes a lot
2. as cool as a cucumber
b. something one enjoys or does well
3. the apple of her/his eye
c. earn your family’s living
4. a couch potato
d. calm, not nervous or anxious
5. bring home the bacon
e. an important person, a leader
6. a cup of tea
f. a very lazy person
7. full of beans
g. sell quickly or rapidly
8. to sell like hot cakes
h. feel energetic, in high spirits
iv. Look at the list below. Read the definitions and choose the correct one.
Use your dictionaries if necessary, and fill in the blanks in the sentences below with the past
participle of the following ‘cooking verbs’.
COOKING VERBS
(to) fry - to cook in oil, usually on the top of the oven or to cook in the oven
(to) bake - to cook in the oven or to cook in hot water on top of the oven
(to) stir - to move the ingredients with a spoon or to combine ingredients together
(to) boil - to cook in hot water on the top of the oven or to cook in oil, on top of the oven
(to) pour –to remove all water or to move a liquidor granulated substance from one container to
another
(to) mix –to cut with a knife or to combine ingredients together
(to) chop - to cut something into thin, flat pieces or to make a quick stroke or repeated strokes with or
as if with a sharp instrument (as a knife)
(to) drain - to remove all the water or to take the skin from something
(to) season - to combine ingredients together or to add salt and pepper or extra flavour
(to) peel - to take the skin from something or to crush food, usually after cooking it, so that it forms a
soft mas?
( to) scramble – to cut something into thin, flat pieces or to prepare (eggs) by stirring during frying
( to) grill-to cook something by direct heat, especially under a very hot surface in a cooker or to cook in
the oven
( to) grate- to cook in hot water or to rub food against a grater
( to) burn-to (cause something to) be hurt, damaged or destroyed by fire or extreme heat or to cook
something by direct heat
( to) mash- to take the skin from something or to crush food, usually after cooking it, so that it forms a
soft mass
( to) slice- to cut something into thin, flat pieces or to rub food against a grater
WELCOME TO ROMANIA 4/5
1. The chips were delicious, lightly f___________ and soft and fluffy on the inside.
2. I love my mother's home-b _________cookies.
3. I don’t like s_________ onion in my salad, but I sometimes like c________ mushrooms.
4. I usually eat m___________ potatoes but sometimes, I just like them b_________ with skin on.
5. I love g______ cheese on top of my spaghetti.
6. G________ chicken is recommended when you want to keep a diet.
7. The salad was s_________ with oil, salt, pepper and vinegar.
8. All the ingredients were well m________, then p_______ into the pan.
V. Work in pairs. You are a foreign visitor to Romania. You are having dinner in a traditional
Romanian restaurant and you enjoy the dishes very much.
You want to meet the chef and congratulate him on his culinary talent.
Ask him about the way they have been cooked, the ingredients he used and his favourite traditional
recipe.
In pairs, role play the dialogue between the customer and the chef.
You may need these expressions in your dialogue: would you be so kind / is it possible for you to
share your secret ingredients / recipe with me?
For making compliments: it's the best dish I have ever tasted, it is such an interesting combination of
flavours, it is so delicious.
Note: Use The Present Tense Simple for step by step instructions and recipes.
Use linkers for a sequence of events: first, then, after that, next, in the end, etc.
VI. 1. Brainstorm some ideas on the different types of food found in Romanian restaurants and
guest houses.
2. Imagine you are a reporter. After visiting different types of restaurants you are asked to
write an Assessing Good and Bad Points Report (150-200 words) about the benefits and
drawbacks of eating food in a restaurant versus a guesthouse.
REMEMBER: The Assessing Good and Bad Points Report is a formal piece of writing
appropriate for hotels, restaurants and holiday resort assessments.
Present Tenses are used generally. Past Tenses are used for travel and holiday reports after the event.
I. STRUCTURE:
Introduction - State the purpose and content of your report. State what your report is based on
(e.g. visits to two rural guest houses and two city restaurants)
Main Body – (Par. 2-3-4) -> Summarise each point, giving both positive & negative aspects.
Conclusion – (Final Paragraph) -> General assessment and recommendation
II. USEFUL LANGUAGE FOR YOUR REPORT:
To introduce: This report was carried out/ written … The purpose/aim of this report is ….
To express reality: The fact of the matter is, Actually, In practice
To make contrasting points: However, Although, Despite, But, While, Even though.
To express appearance versus reality: It may seem, On the surface, Apparently.
To conclude/ summarise: In conclusion, To sum up, All in all, To conclude.
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