Food and Wine in Moldova

I have just returned from eating dinner at Acasa la Mama, a wonderful Moldovan restaurant right across the street from my apartment block. I have eaten there several times and been delighted each time. The waiters are friendly and very attentive, and the atmosphere includes a mixture of Moldovan folkloric music and Moldovan pop. I always return to the apartment with a good feeling from Acasa la Mama, which means something like, "at home at mom's house." After a disastrous home cooking event this week that included some rotten frozen vegetables (I should have know better.....) I was extra happy with "mom's" cooking.

One aspect of Moldovan food is variety and experimentation. In the many times I have eaten with my good friends here in Chisinau, the food has always been slightly different and special. From sweet cherries, pears, and apples in jars taken from a plot belonging to the family about twenty kilometers away, to many fish dishes, each is different.

At "Acasa la Mama" I can order the same dish but get it prepared differently each time. Tonight I had a fresh salad made with peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, oil and vinegar, and goat cheese, much like a Shop salad from Bulgaria. Then I had fasoli with grilled onions (amazing), and finally a pot of "stew" with beef and (tonight) mushrooms and sauce.

In addition to being an excellent nai teacher and Romanian language coach, my music teacher has begun to teach me about Moldovan wines. They are among the best in the world, and quite famous in Europe and Asia. Yesterday after my nai lesson he served me wine from the northern part of Moldova (Bucovina), a dry and strong red wine. Today he served me a sweeter red wine from the central part of the country, near here. Each time he has brought the wine in a two liter pop bottle, indicating that it was home made. Fantastic!

Food is important in Moldova and I am certainly happy to be able to enjoy it. I think the most unusual food I have encountered was the seasonal smoked plums that can be eaten by themselves or cooked into various dishes.