Romanian hospitality at its finest

Romanian cuisine is deeply influenced by the coming together of different cultures and traditions — from Greek, Turkish, and Slavic in the south and east, to Austrian, Hungarian, and Saxon in the north and west. Irina Georgescu’s book, Carpathia, is inspired by these influences and also pays tribute to her mother and grandmother’s classic recipes, yet brings her own unique interpretation.

Irina Georgescu: “I am fascinated by the flavours and textures of Romanian cuisine and I am excited to write and share its secrets with the world. I feel very strongly about exploring the world through food, understanding people through what they eat, and putting things in the context of history. My dream is to build a life around food, discovering new flavours and changing perceptions with the help of recipes, photography and travel stories. The recipes are my own, inspired by my mother, my family and Romania’s culinary heritage.”

Why we like this book
Carpathia is packed to the rim with Romanian side dishes, starters, home-style breads, street food bakes, borş and ciorbă (broths), traditional main courses, classic pickling, preserves, compotes and desserts. We love that we have an insider’s guide to the very best of Romanian cuisine and can’t wait to explore this book.

What other authors say
“Carpathia takes the reader roaming through Romania from Transylvania to the Danube Delta while introducing dozens of satisfying recipes that express the landscape, culture and joys of traditional Romanian hospitality. This is a book of many virtues, filled with new ideas, flavours and insights.”

Caroline Eden, author of Samarkand and Black Sea.