Vegan Romania

Book excerpt: 101 traditional Romanian vegan recipes (in Romanian "de post" - meaning "for fasting"), inspired by travels and childhood memories. I made this volume as affordable as possible. So don't expect pretty pictures inside. My concern were the recipes, which, in their vast majority, are not available in English anywhere else. Romania is little known for its vegan cuisine. In fact, Romanians enjoy meats more than anything else. Their traditional foods are usually rich in fats and spices. But in the countryside, people cannot always afford meat. They substitute animal fats with a wide variety of vegan ingredients. Vegan food is also enjoyed in all its diversity during several fasting seasons, especially during the 40 days of Lent. For many, Lent is an occasion for complaining about "what should I cook today." When it comes to cookbooks focused exclusively on traditional Romanian vegan recipes, the market lacks what's needed. Cookbooks today borrow a lot from the cuisines of the world, introducing dishes that were virtually unknown 20 or 30 years ago in my country. You also have to consider that many Romanians also fast during the week on Wednesdays and Fridays, and in the Advent season before Christmas. A Romanian Orthodox may fast up to 192 days out of the entire year, usually counting on the same simple foods, without caring too much about diversifying his or her diet. There are many interesting vegan foods to discover in Romania, but, for the purpose of an introduction into our traditional cuisine this collection only features 101, including some of our iconic and legendary specialties: mamaliga (polenta), iahnie (baked beans), plachie (ragout), sarmale (stuffed cabbage), stuffed peppers, and zacusca (vegetable spread).