Romanian Food Festival starts at Twilight tonight, shows Romanian culture about more than Vampires

November 6, 10:35 AMDallas Ethnic Foods ExaminerKK Thornton

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Romanian ethnic food- the cabbage rolls are usually topped with sour
cream. Photo: Themightyquill

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For a taste of Romanian culture and some great ethnic foods, head on over to Colleyville this weekend for the fourth annual Romanian Food Festival.   If your view of Romanian cuisine involves vampires in the twilight, you are in for a pleasant surprise!  The Romanian Food Festival starts at 5 pm tonight and continues through Sunday.

Because of Romania's location and rich history, Romanian ethnic foods are fascinating and delicious.  Romania has been ruled by an awful lot of different invaders over its long history. That heritage is reflected in its cuisine, a skillfully blended mixture of ethnic foods influenced by Italy, Turkey, Germany, Russia and Hungary.

Take mamaliga, one of Romania's most beloved ethnic foods.  Mamaliga is a cornmeal mush more commonly known in America and throughout the world as polenta.  The Romanians have taken the Italian classic and made it their own– turning it into Mamaliga cu Branza si Smantana, for example, by adding the sour cream and feta cheese they adopted from the ethnic foods of their Russian and Turkish rulers.

You can try Mamaliga cu Branza si Smantana at the Romanian Food Festival this weekend, as well as other Romanian ethnic foods such as Sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls), Mititei (skinless sausages), Pastrama Miel (lamb pastrami) and Pulpa de Pui la Cuptor (oven baked chicken).  Are you brave enough to try Truth-or-Dare soup?  Order a cup of Ciorba de burta and find out, or try a bowl of the special Romanian wedding soup.

The Romanian Food Festival this weekend will offer plenty of live traditional Romanian music and folk dancing.  The family friendly event will feature plenty of activity for the children, including a bouncy castle and face painting. 

In addition to sampling the great ethnic foods of Romania, you can also learn about Romanian culture and take a tour of the beautiful St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church.

Admission to the Romanian Food Festival is $5 for adults and $3 for children.  The event will be held November 6th, 7th and 8th, 2009 on the grounds of Saint Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church, 3801 Glade Road, Colleyville.  For more information, check out the Romanian Food Festival website.