Moldova: People, Places, Food And Wine

"Yes, it’s absolutely gorgeous. I know the author’s daughter, Paula. She writes about Moldova and its culture, history and politics for various western publications. She generously mailed the book to me. I don’t know of any other book in English, currently on bookshelves, about Moldovan food. It’s a gap in the market, which is an unusual thing nowadays. And it’s a thing of beauty. The author travelled around Moldova, with a photographer and they recorded local recipes and family recipes. There are a couple of key things about Moldovan cooking. Firstly, the similarities with Ukraine; they share the black soil, which Ukraine is famous for. This produces exceptionally tasty vegetables, and that’s reflected in this book. The other interesting thing is the multiculturalism within Moldova. There are Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Russian, Jewish, Christian influences. I often think that the best cuisines are those that take from other places. This book was a bestseller in Moldova. Every bookshop I went into when I was there recently had it prominently on display, and they are very proud of it. And it resonated with me, because it has a lot of flavours that I recognise from Black Sea . It’s a very special book and I hope it sells well outside of Moldova. It should. Quite possibly. I spent time in Bucharest after I was in Moldova and I did find it quite different. I’d been to Romania before, especially the Black Sea coast. Something I wanted to talk about with you is the idea of peasantry and cookery. It’s a shame that in English there’s a derogatory element to the word ‘peasant.’ People use it in a negative way. But in all these cookbooks I’ve read over the years—on Polish cookery, Ukrainian cookery, and now Moldovan cookery—the peasant is absolutely revered. I asked Paula about this, and she said, well, it’s because the farmer sells to the market, but the peasant produces food for his own family. There’s a difference there. He’s not looking to make a profit, he is looking to feed and nurture their own family. That makes absolute sense to me. This book is a celebration of peasant food. Yes. I’d love to drive around Moldova in the summer and see it in bloom. I imagine it’s spectacular. There are definitely similarities with Romania—polenta, sausages, very good Pinot Noir-type wines—but Moldova is so underrepresented."