Recipes Of Romanian Cuisine - A Balm For Your Senses

Romanians have a particular way of cooking, and their food is absolutely delicious if you get it in the right place and it is cooked the right way. Romanian restaurants can be found nowadays all over the world and they serve the best traditional Romanian food made by Romanian cooks after special recipes of Romanian cuisine.

Before big important holidays like Christmas and Easter or others, Romanians have a fasting period, which means no animal products are allowed on the table. That means that for some well-determined days they can purify their body, as fasting periods are not for eating fat, not for eating eggs nor other type of animal products. Sometimes, on particular Sundays of the fasting periods, which are determined and written down in the orthodox calendar, Romanians are allowed to eat fish.

What the fasting period does is prepare the body for the fat and delicious food, which is cooked in every house for the holidays. Women and men start cooking the food days before the holiday, especially before Christmas, when the pork is the basic element for the traditional food. There are all sorts of products made of pork, traditional sausages and others. No part of the pig remains untransformed. The condiments used in preparing the meat are the usual ones, salt, pepper, garlic etc. but the Romanian cooking recipes are special.

If you visit a Romanian restaurant, you can enjoy all the delights of the traditional Romanian food. Ask the waiter to recommend you something or just try the famous stuffed cabbage with "polenta" and sour cream. The noodle traditional soups and "ciorba" (broth) are famous all over the world.

Also, if you happen to have Romanian friends, ask them to tell you about all the beautiful customs that make the holidays brighter. About all the Christmas carols and the New Year poems that are said on the first day of the new year by groups of men and boys, who go from house to house to give joy and happiness as well as a lot of positive energy and thoughts to the hosts.

If you are trying to excite your senses, do not avoid trying out the Romanian food. Recipes for Romanian food can be found online too; all you have to do is use a search engine the right way and start cooking. It is not hard at all and the results will be absolutely to your satisfaction. Dare to taste the Romanian products and if you ever have the chance, visit that beautiful country.

Not only the food, but also the attitude of the Romanians is one to enjoy - they are very hospitable and generally have a positive attitude towards life itself. The surroundings, especially in the mountains and the sights are amazing and you can find nice restaurants all over the country. Plenty of food to enjoy, and it is delicious. You will have to be careful though because you might gain weight very fast.

No matter if you try it at home, or at your friend's house or anywhere else in the world, Romanian food is great and very tasty. Find Romanian cooking recipes and make them a part of your life as well as a part of your family's lives. Your family will enjoy and surely appreciate it!

Low Fat Cooking that Tastes Great

Eating low fat foods does not mean all the taste and flavor that you love has to be eliminated. It does require you to change the way that you prepare your meals though. For example if you plan on eating chicken you should take a close look at grilling it instead of frying it. The change will still give you delicious chicken that offers plenty of protein. However you will not end up with all the fat from frying the chicken.

Lean meats, fish, and fresh vegetables should all be a large part of your low fat cooking experiences. These foods are low in fat but they contain a high amount of essential vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. If you are having a hard time with the transformation from fatty foods to those low in fat consider spicing up the meals with various seasonings and herbs. You can also make a delicious fresh salsa from tomatoes, onions, chilies, and seasonings.

Keep in mind that eating some fat is good for you as well. The secret is to keep a healthy balance between what fats you eat and the better food selection items. If you deprive yourself of all fats you will become unsatisfied with your food selections. However most people find low fat cooking helps them shed pounds, feel better mentally, and sleep better. They often exercise more as well because they feel a surge of energy that comes from eating less fat.

A very subtle but effective change for low fat cooking is to replace butter with Pam cooking spray. Butter is very high in fat but eliminating it completely can cause foods to stick to the pan and that makes cooking a complete disaster. Making small changes like this should not make you feel like you have given up any flavor in your food what so ever.

One of the hardest areas for people to eliminate from their diet is sweets that are high in fat. There are some great low fat recipes that you can try to satisfy your sweet tooth. Many of them offer you the chance to eat plenty of fresh fruits. Instead of eating ice cream serve fresh fruit with yogurt. Try sautéed peaches, apples, or bananas with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg to sweeten it up.

There are plenty of excellent low fat cooking recipes you can choose from out there. Do not be afraid to experiment with new ones. You will enjoy low fat cooking much better if you eat a wide variety of foods. Look for recipe books and online sites that provide you with delicious main courses, side dishes, and even desserts that are all low in fat. Eating healthy can still be fun and delicious.

Traditional Indian Cooking

Many people are mystified by traditional Indian cooking and cuisines and a little somewhat confused with the varieties of curries and spices used . Some may even think the traditional Indian cooking is mostly about vegetarian dishes and curries.

India has one of the finest and richest culinary histories. Contrary to popular belief, Indian cuisines are not complex or too confusing to cook. It can also be as elaborate as you want it to be. If you understand the diversity of the country, which is divided into four regions, north, south, east and west, you will appreciate the varieties of dishes, exotic spices, cooking methods, etc.

Two distinctions in many Indian recipes is the absence of beef and pork due to religious factors, as cows are sacred to the Hindus and pork is prohibited in the Muslim diet.

Indian cuisines are however generally characterized by exact combination of spices and flavours and the cooking method generally is to saute and simmer the dishes or curries over low heat. Tandoori cooking has popularised the oven-clay oven method which has produced tandoori chicken or naan bread.

Regardless of region, spices are key ingredients in Indian cooking. The Indians are also mindful of the healing properties of spices in their cooking. These are derived from plants's roots, buds, seeds, fruits and dried bark which produce the exotic aroma. It is released when the spices are heated up. All these spices are all readily available in supermarkets.

Spices can be grouped into five basic categories: sweet, pungent, tangy, hot, and amalgamating. The way these are used and the amounts used in cooking are governed by these characteristics. Examples of the different types of spices are:

Amalgamating: Coriander seed, fennel seed

Sweet: Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla

Pungent: Cloves, star anise, cardamom

Tangy: Ginger, tamarind, sumach, kokam

Hot: pepper, chilli, mustard, horseradish

Most of the herbs such as thyme, sage, marjoram, oregano, bay leaves, mint and rosemary are considered as savoury. The herbs do have varying degrees of flavour intensity, however not as dramatic as with spices.

Northern Indian cooking is influenced by the weather which can range from extreme heat to freezing cold. The dishes are traditionally rich and heavy with cream and ghee, using breads, meats and tend to be less spicy. Yoghurt is widely used instead of coconut milk which is widely used in the south. They also tend to be drier as soupy sauces do not mix well as dippings for breads. Naan and chapati breads come from the north.

In the south where the weather is mostly hot, rice is widely grown and this makes the diet of south Indians rice-based that goes well with soupy curries. Spices are used heavily and the southern cusines tend to be spicier than the north. The roti-prata or dosai are typical southern breads.

Indian desserts are basically different forms of rice puddings, milk puddings, vegetables and fruits dipped in sweet syrup. Indian sweets or fudges are usually decorated or garnished with raisins, almonds, pistachios. Mostly made by boiling down milk to remove the moisture and then adding butter, flavour and sugar. The Indian sweets usually have high sugar content so use sugar in moderation when trying out Indian dessert recipes.