Romanian Rural Traditions In English

There is a village in Romania known for its cabbage. Well, not just cabbage; it's also known for pickles and pickling related activities of all types. When you drive through it on the main road, usually during a trip between Suceava to Radauti, you'll see small wooden stands in front of peoples homes. On these there is always an assortment of colourful jars with various types of pickles: cucumbers, peppers, green tomatoes, mixed varieties, and, of course, cabbage. Cabbage which comes either in the form of sauerkraut with carrots and cumin seeds, or by whole head - just perfect for sarmale.

If you're lucky enough to pass through during the harvesting season late in the summer, you'll see carts and trailers loaded sky-high with cabbage, more cabbage than you've ever seen in your life. It's kinda their thing, and it seems it's always been. Romanians take it seriously, too, nobody argues when you say the best pickles and the best cabbage in Romania comes from Milisauti. The only thing missing is an origin appellation certification.

So you can imagine I was glad to stumble across this English-language blog which aims to share old Romanian traditions with the world at large. There are well-written articles about old rural traditions, crafts, and local food, but also videos. It's a labour of love, and I love it. I think if I retired early that's exactly what I'd like to do; document Romania's people of soil and seasons, these country folk and their lives which are often literally, and culturally, melting away into a past that's become too complicated to contemplate.

Well, I couldn't let the first month of 2020 go by without writing at least one post. This is it, enjoy!

Here's the video:

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UnknownFebruary 01, 2020
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
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