Barbecues are taken very seriously in Romania. It’s usually a fun day event that happens on the weekend, where family and friends gather around the grill and spend time together. Growing up, my family would always go for a barbecue on summer Sundays. We would pack the car and drive to the mountain valley, which was a mere 30-40 minutes away. Living in Transylvania, practically in the mountains, the valleys were at our doorstep practically. We always referred to the barbecue as going to the green grass, pointing out that it was an outing in nature, away from the city.
We would leave early, as many other people would go to the same place. We would pick a spot by the river, park the car, and carry everything down to the water. Most of the time some of my parents’ friends would join, and me and my sister had other children to play with. Whilst we would enjoy bathing in the river, building rock castles on the shore or playing football, the grown-ups would take care of the barbecue. The first step was gathering the wood – as back then shop-bought coal wasn’t popular at all. Whilst men would tend to get the fire started, the women would prepare the meat and the side dishes.
The most popular Romanian barbecue dishes on our table were the mici, the pork neck steaks, green salad, and sometimes fries. We didn’t have a “disc”, the special barbecue that fries are made on, so it was up to my parents’ friends to bring one.
For dessert, we would just eat fresh summer fruits, such as watermelon or peaches.
The Romanian Barbecue
The barbecue season in Romania starts on the 1st of May, which is a National holiday and a free day. No matter the weather, having the first barbecue of the year on the 1st of May is a must.
The most popular barbecue dishes include the traditional mici, pork steaks, sometimes even sausages, chicken or pork kebabs, and mutton pastrami. The sides are as important as the meat dishes. We love potatoes, which can either be made inside a disc barbecue, or we stick with the classic potato salad. Usually, a fresh salad made with the first greens of the spring will also be present at the table.
We don’t use oil on the barbecue. To grease it, we use “slanina”, or cured pork fat, which adds another layer of flavour to the dishes we grill on it.
The Most Delicious Romanian Barbecue Dishes
Mici
You can’t have a Romanian barbecue without mici, these small skinless sausages (as some might describe them) full of flavour. Mici are a quintessential element of the barbecue in Romania. They are made from minced meat seasoned with garlic, herbs and spices, diluted with beef bone broth. Grilling them over wood or coals cooks them on the outside but keeps them moist and juicy on the inside. We eat them with mustard and bread.
Click here to see my Romanian mici recipe.
Pork Neck Steak
The second most popular Romanian barbecue dish is the grilled pork neck steak. We usually marinate the steak overnight, in a mixture of paprika, herbs, salt, pepper and oil, allowing it to infuse with all those delicious flavours. The steak is left to reach temperature for about one hour before grilling. It doesn’t take a long time to barbecue the steaks, and the result is tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork meat. Before serving, we sprinkle sea salt on top.
Chicken Kebabs
Another great Romanian barbecue dish is the chicken kebabs. The meat is marinated for a few hours in a mixture of herbs, chilli flakes, salt, pepper, and lemon – which will tenderise the meat. The kebabs are then built by adding different vegetables in between the meat, on skewers. I like to add onion, red peppers, and sometimes courgettes.
Click here to see my recipe for Romanian chicken kebabs.
Mutton Pastrami
The mutton pastrami is another great dish to have at a Romanian barbecue. Whilst in my family we never chose it because nobody except me likes the taste of it, I really do appreciate it. We usually buy the mutton pastrami readily prepared for the grill, from the butcher shops. All we have to do is bring it to room temperature and then grill it. We serve it with mujdei de usturoi, which is a very simple garlic sauce typical to Romania.
Fries on the Disc
If you are wondering how we make fries when we go for a barbecue in nature, the answer is on the disc. This is a round curved large metal circle, which stands on three iron legs. Underneath, we make a fire pit, using dried wood. The disc is used to fry foods that would not be suitable for the classic barbecue, such as fries. It acts like a huge pan over a natural fire.
Potato Salad
The classic potato salad is a great side dish at a Romanian barbecue, especially when you don’t have a disc to make fries on. The potato salad is made the day before the barbecue, to allow all the flavours to meld together. Whilst the original potato salad has eggs, when we make it for a barbecue we usually leave it out.
Click here to see my Romanian potato salad recipe.
Fresh Salad
To balance the amount of meat and carbs at a Romanian barbecue, we always make a fresh salad. Depending on the season, the salad will include lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, as well as optional red onions, spring onions, radishes, and even telemea cheese.
Click here to see my Romanian spring salad recipe.
Roasted Peppers
Roasted peppers are a great side dish at a barbecue, especially since this dish can be cooked whilst the fire is still settling inside the grill. The peppers are roasted over an open flame, so you don’t have to wait until the coals become white. The peppers are firstly charred, and then let to sweat inside a covered bowl, so that you can peel them easily. They are then covered with a mixture of oil, vinegar and garlic, and let to marinate until the meat is ready.
Click here to see my Romanian roasted peppers recipe.
For more similar traditional recipes check out my recommendations below:
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