Romanian food has no Michelin stars and no international reputation. It has something better: a direct line from the earth to the table that most European cuisines have spent decades trying to rediscover. This seven-day journey moves through three food landscapes — the smoked and slow-cooked traditions of Transylvania, the clay-pot cooking of Wallachia, and the wine cellars of Dealu Mare where small producers make varietals that never leave the country. Meals with the families who grew and preserved everything on the table.
Arrival in Sibiu. Afternoon visit to the Piața Mare market with a local cook — introduction to seasonal Romanian produce. Welcome dinner at a traditional restaurant, with explanation of dishes and their origins.
Morning in a Saxon village kitchen — learning to make ciorba de fasole (smoked bean soup), sarmale wrapped in soured cabbage, and cozonac sweet bread. The recipes belong to the family and have not been written down. Lunch at the table you cooked. Afternoon walk.
Drive to the Mărginimea Sibiului — the shepherd plateau above Sibiu, where seasonal transhumance still occurs. Visit a working stâna (mountain sheepfold) and watch the making of brânza de burduf — cheese aged inside a fir bark or sheep stomach. Lunch of polenta and fresh cheese on the plateau. Afternoon visit to a smoked meat producer.
Drive south through the Olt valley pass to Wallachia. Lunch stop at a roadside crâșmă (inn) where the menu is whatever was grown that week. Arrive in the Dealu Mare wine region by late afternoon. Check in at a vineyard guesthouse.
A full day in the Dealu Mare wine region — visiting two small producers who make Feteasca Neagra, Busuioacă de Bohotin, and Tămâioasă Româneasca. Varieties grown here for centuries that never appear on export lists. Cellar tastings and a winemaker's lunch.
Last cooking day — in a village near Horezu, learning the clay-pot cooking of Wallachia: fasole cu ciolan, tocăniță de miel, and piftie. The food of a Wallachian Sunday. Farewell dinner with all dishes on the table at once, as it should be.
Transfer to Bucharest or Sibiu for onward travel. End of programme.
6 nights in guesthouses & vineyardAll breakfasts + 5 lunches/dinnersAll cooking sessionsWine cellar tastingsPrivate transport & food guideInternational flightsTravel insurance