The traditional Romanian Mucenici Recipe is a treat that we enjoy every year, on the 9^th of March in the south of Romania. This dessert has its origins from religion as well as celebrating the Orthodox holy day of the 40 martyrs of Sebaste. I was first introduced to Mucenici Muntenesti by my grandma at a very young age. I would wake up on the 9^th of March and go into the kitchen, where my grandma would have been cooking since the early hours of the morning.

The entire kitchen would smell of toasted walnuts, cinnamon and vanilla. She would take a bowl, pour some of the sweet soup into it, and put it in front of me. In the first years I didn’t really understand what that aromatic soup was, but I always ate it all and asked for seconds. What kid doesn’t like sweet treats? Later on, as I grew older, I understood why we are only having them once a year, and why Mucenici are such a treat. Later on, my mother, who never made Mucenici, started to make the Moldavian version, so I was lucky to enjoy both treats.

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What are Mucenici?

A close-up of a bowl with the sweet soup inside. You can clearly see the 8 shaped mucenici, topped with ground walnuts and cinnamon. The bowl is on a chopping board.

Mucenici is a unique Romanian delicacy that is savoured just once a year on March 9th, in honour of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, a religious holiday in Romania and Moldova. Depending on the region, there are two distinct types of Mucenici. The Moldovan version consists of fluffy pastries shaped like an “8” and topped with honey and walnuts. Some variations even include a walnut filling. On the other hand, in the southern regions of Romania, the pastries are tiny “8” shaped delicacies that are served in a sweet broth made with vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, and walnuts.

In the countryside, in the Moldova region, women usually make 40 Mucenici to bring to church for the priest’s blessings. The pastries represent the 40 martyrs who died in Sebaste, and they are distributed to relatives, neighbours, and the less fortunate. This tradition is not only for commemorating those who have passed but also for a prosperous crop in the coming year. According to folklore, the 9th of March marks the beginning of the agricultural year, and anything sowed on this day will yield 40 times more.

If you’re interested in trying the Moldovan version of Mucenici, you can check out my traditional Mucenici Moldovenesti recipe. In this article we will explore the recipe for the Mucenici Muntenesti, which are consumed in the south of the country.

Ingredients to Make This Traditional Mucenici Muntenesti Recipe

Some of the ingredients used to make this recipe, on a marble looking like kitchen top. There is an orange pack of mucenici, ground walnut inside a chopper, a measuring mug with 100 grams of sugar in it, a small orange, a small bottle of vanilla essence and a vial of rum essence.

While some people are making their own dough for the Mucenici Muntenesti, I don’t. It is a laborious process, especially if you don’t have the specific tool to shape the mucenici into tiny “8”s. Luckily, you can buy the Mucenici in packs, from the middle of February. If you live abroad, as I do, the Romanian shops will always bring them. They are very inexpensive and save so much time. I recommend the brand “Baneasa” as they don’t break when you boil them, and keep their shape very well. They are practically tiny dried pasta shapes, as the dough is just flour, water, and salt.

The flavour of Mucenici comes from what you add in the water. The ingredients I normally use are: sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, vanilla essence, rum essence, orange peel and lemon zest.

How to Make Mucenici Muntenesti

A pot of water with broken pieces of cinnamon sticks in it

This traditional Romanian Mucenici recipe is very easy to make. All you have to pay attention to is the order you add the ingredients in the pot. Start by bringing to boil a pot with approximately 2 litres of water in it. Add the sugar and the cinnamon sticks. When the water starts to boil and gets slightly coloured from the cinnamon stick, reduce the heat and add the mucenici. Boil for around 8 minutes, or until they start rising to the surface.

Once they are cooked, turn the heat off and add all the other ingredients: the rum essence, the vanilla essence, the lemon zest, the orange peel, and the ground walnut. I buy whole walnuts and use an electric chopper to ground it. Cover the pot and let it infuse for a couple of hours.

Serve with more ground walnut and cinnamon on top.

Recipe Notes and Tips:

The sweet broth inside the pot, before being left to infuse. You can see the ground walnut floating on the surface, as well as the orange peel in the right hand side.

You can use any flavourings you like. If you don’t like orange peel for example, you can leave it out.
I am using 100 gr of sugar per pack of Mucenici. This gives the soup a slight sweet taste, but is not overpowering. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar.
After you have added all the flavourings in the water, taste it, and check that it is to your liking. You can adjust the quantity of the flavourings to your own taste.
For a more intense taste, you can toast the walnut before you grind it.