country Essentials · 13 foods
Moldova Essentials
A considered first route through Moldova: the foods that carry its everyday habits, celebrations, ingredients, and memory.
Explore all Moldova foods →THE
ESSENTIALS
The complete shortlist
13 foods to know.
Each selection includes the reason it belongs here—so this is a guide, not just a pile of names.
Romanian Moldavia, Romania
Moldavian Hen Soup
Ciorbă moldovenească de găină
Chicken zeamă with homemade noodles, wheat-bran sourness, and lovage.
Romania
Filled Pie
Plăcintă
A hot thin-dough filled pie; curd, cabbage, pumpkin, and sour cherry are forms of one canon.
Moldova
Vertută
A crisp spiral of paper-thin dough filled with curd, pumpkin, apple, or walnut.
Romanian Moldavia, Moldova
Pârjoale
Pârjoale moldovenești
Tender Moldovan meat patties heavy with dill and garlic, browned outside and soft inside.
Romania
Romanian Cabbage Rolls
Sarmale
Pork-and-rice rolls in sour cabbage or vine leaves, served with sour cream or mămăligă.
Galicia, Romania
Polenta
Mămăligă
Firm cornmeal porridge cut with thread and eaten with cheese, sour cream, or stews.
Moldova
Moldovan Sheep's Cheese
Brânză de oi
Salty sheep cheese served with mămăligă and pies.
Moldova
Baba Neagră
A slow-baked dark cornmeal-and-wheat cake with soured-cream and burnt-sugar character.
Moldova
Cușma lui Guguță
Stacked sour-cherry pancakes covered with sour cream, named for the literary character.
Moldova
Negru de Purcari
A named dark Purcari wine blend with concentrated fruit and oak spice.
Moldova
Viorica
A floral Moldovan white wine with elderflower perfume and fresh acidity.
Moldova
Divin
Oak-aged Moldovan grape brandy with a warm, smooth, vanilla-oak finish.
Moldova
Cricova Sparkling
Spumant de Cricova
Sparkling wine from Cricova's underground cellars, with fine bubbles and fresh acidity.