Carpathia. Food from the heart of Romania by Irina Georgescu
Published by Frances Lincoln 17th March 2020
When you open this book you are greeted with beautiful photographs of the deep, wooded valleys of the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, the colourful facades of houses in ancient Romanian towns and market stalls weighed down with fresh produce. You are introduced to a fascinating part of the world that has been occupied through the ages by many rulers all of which have left their mark, not least on the exceptional food found in Romania.
Irina Georgescu, our guide, explains the history and customs of the region in a voice so patient and loving that it is hard to understand why she has swopped it for living in Wales. Perhaps it is her ten year absence from Romania, where she was brought up under communist rule, that has made her heart beat faster for the country she clearly loves but chose to leave.
The recipes in Carpathia are based on what Irina was taught by her mother, who worked as a teacher, and in IT. She was an inventive, resourceful cook with a deep understanding of local food and how to feed a growing family on scarce resources.
There is something to learn from a book like this, written so beautifully by someone who is fascinated by the cuisine of their homeland and takes the time to document and share it with the world.
The first chapter appealed to me. When I am short of time I love to make small plates of food for sharing and Irina has some great ideas. Beautiful aubergine caviar with red onion and fennel seeds, butter bean dips and new season nettles made into a fricassée.
I always head for the recipes that celebrate vegetables, fruit and fish. And there is plenty to go at in this book. One thing I have never attempted is sauerkraut which Irina describes with other recipes to serve it with. The chapter on pickles, preserves, compotes and drinks is a goldmine of how to preserve seasonal ingredients for the winter months.
I love the resourcefulness of this book. Wise cooks never throw good food away. This book is a wonderful example of understanding the ingredients you have and how to use them to their best advantage - without waste. The use of herbs and flavours in the recipes is a masterclass. You just know from the ingredient lists the recipes are going to taste good.
Meat is celebrated in chapter four. I say celebrated because in Romania meat has been a scarce resource and every scrap from a well cared for farm animal had to be used wisely and eked out to feed hungry mouths over the long winter months.
Irina explains on the day their family pig was slaughtered ‘I first understood that in order to eat we had to sacrifice the life of our farm animals. The animals all had names and were treated and cared for incredibly well.......It wasn’t just because of the rich flavours they imparted to dishes, but for nourishment and sustainability for both my uncle’s farm and us.’
Irina’s notes on life under communist rule, which ended in 1989, are salutary. In an effort to modernise Romania, communism demolished whole villages to make room for modern blocks of apartments destroying traditional ways of life including making cheese and wine, growing vegetables and keeping animals. ‘Luckily there was a black market for recipes passed down by word of mouth’ Irina tells us.
Reading this book has raised Romania to the next country of my list to visit. I have been close - a photography trip to Bulgaria in 2014 and I have a trip planned this year to Georgia which is on the opposite side of the Black Sea to Romania.
As soon as I can, I will get myself to Romania and send Irina a postcard to thank her for inspiring me to do so.
Joan Ransley
12 March 2020
