There are more Roma in our country than Italians or Greeks. However, while we have Greek and Italian restaurants, there are no specific Romanian ones here (although there are some in Spain, France, Austria, etc.). Over the past 70 years, the Roma are the only ethnic group that has increased as a proportion of the total population, while all other ethnic groups have recorded a decline. I talked about this topic with anthropologist Radu Umbres and Roma ethnologist Delia Grigore.

As a proportion of the population, Roma have grown from just over 100,000 in 1956 to an estimated 570,000 in 2022. Now their share is from 0.6% to about 3%. However, there is no particular Romanian restaurant, although artists and/or dancers would be welcome there.

In Spain, the image of the Roma is associated with the bohemian spirit, with a nomadic, exotic way of life. We tend to associate it with negative stereotypes

There may be several explanations, according to anthropologist Radu Umbresh:

One of them is that Italian/Greek cuisine is not associated with ethnic minorities in Romania, but with the cuisine of these nations, which have a tradition based on the food resources of the respective ecosystems and on the cultural influences that shaped them. throughout history. In addition, they appeared here as an imitation of some “ethnic” restaurants from other countries, often opened by foreign citizens who found a suitable market here.

Another explanation, the anthropologist believes, is related to the fact that the Roma have long been a nomadic or marginal people / subjugated to dominant societies. “Under these conditions, an ethnic gastronomy that could be identified for this nation did not emerge, but they adopted and/or adapted the dishes of the population they lived next to,” says Radu Umbres.

In addition, the Romani cultural component has always appeared in the area of ​​entertainment related to festive dinners in Romania, but in a hybrid format that combined Romanian, regional and Romani elements.

Umbres also says that the explanation for why Romanian restaurants exist in Spain, but not in Romania, has to do with the different image of Roma in the two countries.

I could add something very important: the image of the Roma in Spain is associated with a bohemian spirit, with a nomadic way of life, which, however, is rather perceived as exotic. For various reasons, among which slavery and poverty are probably among the most important, the image of Roma in Romania is more likely to be associated with negative stereotypes such as dishonesty or dirt. Perhaps a restaurant with a specific Roma would be successful for an educated and liberal population, but unfortunately many others would avoid it for reasons of racism,” concludes the Romanian anthropologist.

Roma ethnologist: I would like to have a restaurant of our signature cuisine

We didn’t have investors for this idea, – said Delia Grigore, ethnologist, teacher, writer, fighter for Roma rights and president of the Association of the Roma center “Amare Romenza”, in a conversation with HotNews.

I don’t think it’s because of the culture, but rather the lack of investors. There are Roma with financial opportunities, but who have not joined this direction. Of course, an investor does not necessarily have to be a Roma, Delia Grigore believes.

I am more involved in the field of education and culture. At the university, I teach foreign languages, specializing in Romanian literature and culture. I don’t really have the talent to invest in a business, but I also feel the need for such a traditional restaurant. We are currently working on a virtual museum project – we will officially open it on February 20, the Day of the Abolition of Roma Slavery. The virtual museum – the only one of its kind in the world – which will also include a restaurant, also virtual. Of course, it would be good to have a physical one that also delivers, but for now we will have this virtual restaurant, says the ethnologist.

Indeed, Delia Grigore admits, in our country the image of Roma is often associated with negative stereotypes, but this does not mean that it is not possible to create a restaurant with our specifics.

There were several attempts, but they did not succeed due to poor leadership

Ciprian Nekula, a Roma activist, founding member of the Aresel platform, candidate of sociological sciences and associate professor of SNSPA, believes that previous attempts to open a restaurant with Roma specificity were doomed to failure due to poor management. “There were several attempts, one of the restaurants was even called “La Șigănci” (based on the novel by M. Eliade, German author), but they did not succeed, because the visitors did not know how to manage. In addition, the image of Roma in our society is not one of the happiest, and Roma have learned these stereotypes,” Nekula explains.

These restaurants also organized cultural evenings, but despite this, they were not successful, says Professor Nekula.

He admits that there are now many restaurants where the patrons are Roma, but which are exactly Romanians, not Romanians.

In the West, the image of Roma is the exact opposite here, the activist also believes. There they are perceived as free nomads bordering on the exotic. And the restaurants there have a local menu with a Romani influence, Ciprian Nekula also clarified in a discussion with HotNews.

Specific Roman dishes and recipes

Here, after 500 years of slavery, the economic potential is lower, more unstable than in other Western countries. Then consider that during the census, half of the Roma admitted their belonging to the ethnic group, but the other half apparently avoided it. why Because there are stereotypes in society, and in Romania you do not have an advantage if you declare yourself Roma, says researcher Niku Dumitru.

A former college colleague did research and found that out of 200 proverbs about Roma, 198 or 199 were negative and only one was neutral, he added. “None of them is positive. Therefore, it is very difficult to come up with something positive in such negativity…” – says the researcher.

Apart from music and dance, there are no reasons for pride or cultural export of the Roma community, Dumitru believes.

“I tried to see what traditional Roma dishes are. And here we enter into all sorts of debates, like in traditional Romanian cuisine: are sarmales Romanian? Probably yes, but we also have sarmals near us, through Bașcani. Only the cooking options differ. . Well, in terms of traditional Roma products, probably the most famous is the Romanian product e sarmaua, one of the most common is the banal cabbage with meat. Everyone cooks cabbage with meat, but it’s something special for the Roma. And in Roma communities, the same recipe is different. In principle, the meat should be fatty and contain a little smoke,” says Niku Dumitru. “Then the boilermakers make a mess. It is prepared from pig entrails – a kind of caltabosh wrapped in a pig’s stomach. It is prepared for Christmas,” the researcher explains.

The Roma also have a specific way of slaughtering lambs. It is something similar to the Islamic “halal” model. For example, relatives or scouts from Dobrudja have specific customs of slaughtering lambs.

“On Yuriy, a lamb is sacrificed, from which all the blood should pour out…. For a long time, only on Easter did the Roma receive a reward for their work. And only after they returned home with money or food, they had something to celebrate – Roma Easter or Blessed Easter,” the researcher explains.

“I saw a very beautiful relationship with the forest in the bears from Galats. I use the forest as a kind of supermarket. They also took their bear from there, which was being trained for performances. They took their berries and oil from there. Or stevia – a traditional element of Roma culture. They braided stevia, dried it and made a kind of sausage. In winter, they were proofed and smoked. This is something specific only for these bears.

Others took lyurd (modern garlic) and, since they did not have cows, they gave it to those who had cows in exchange for 1-2 liters of milk seasoned with garlic (from lyurd),” says Niku Dumitru.

Likewise, the expert notes, meat stew is characteristic of Roma, but with a lot of fat and smoke. Fat and smoking are two very important things for them,” says Niku Dumitru.

See here and other traditional culinary recipes of Roma nationality.

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