Romanian cuisine is rarely seen in Toronto's food scene, but well-loved by those who come to know it. A mix of Eastern European, Balkan, Roma and Ottoman influences, Romanian food has many familiar elements but still holds many unexpected surprises.  Performer and cook Maria Colonescu is excited to share some of Romania's rich flavours and history, with a spotlight on three delicious vegetarian dishes tucked among what can be a very meat-centric culinary tradition.
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Ciorbă falsă de burtă
This is a vegetarian take on the traditional Romanian tripe soup, an intensely flavoured but refreshing dish, said to have been a favourite hangover remedy in olden times. Root vegetables and oyster mushrooms in a creamy broth of sour cream and egg yolks are freshened up with garlic and vinegar.

Mămăligă cu branză.
The quintessential peasant's meal, warm comfort after a hard day in a cold field. Plain and delicious - this simple dish is a combination of boiled cornmeal, cheese, sour cream, eggs, and - of course - garlic sauce. Sometimes combined with sausages or other meat, but perfectly satisfying on its own.

Budincă
A dessert specific to Transylvania, this is another plain but rich dish, often had for breakfast and meant to keep you going. Maria describes it as dessert pasta, to the confusion of all. As that name implies, the base mixture is pasta and sweet cheese, finished off with rum flavour, much loved and used in Romanian sweet recipes.
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Maria Colonescu is a theatre artist and kitchen enthusiast, passionate about teaching what she can and sharing her culture as a Romanian immigrant. As a long-time vegetarian raised with meat-heavy traditions, Maria has also spent years experimenting with vegetarian cooking in order to keep the tastes and traditions of home alive but in harmony with her environmental values. She recently presented an immersive theatre experience in the form of a cooking class, addressing the immigrant experience and loss of tradition and of self, through the lens of food.
aequiluxproductions.ca | @colonescu.maria