One of the things that Romanians do well is baking. The repertoire is hugely diverse, from recipes considered to be quintessentially Romanian to those fiercely ethnic, all influenced by centuries of Habsburg and Ottoman rule, and by culinary fashions from France and Italy.
Traditional baking relies on local and seasonal ingredients such as fresh fruit, curd cheese, jams, honey, walnuts, poppy seeds, wheat and cornmeal. The thriving commercial routes of the past spanning between the Middle East, Black Sea, River Danube and Western Europe added their own foreign ingredients. In previous centuries, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, pistachios, almonds, chocolate and sugar used to be a measure of prestige in urban households. These constant culinary and cultural exchanges have created an edible mosaic of glorious pies, cakes and desserts.
Baking in Romania starts with pies called plăcinte, of which two are the most popular: cu mere, with apples, and cu brânză, with curd cheese. They are baked in rectangular
