After visiting Rîu Sadului for the Burduf Challenege event, beginning of July, we paid this lovely village another visit one weekend later with a main purpose – to spend two days at a shepherd’s cottage up on the mountains surrounding the village and to get in contact with their daily routine and to enjoy the beautiful view around.
Now that the wonderful 2019 European Region of Gastronomy year has begun in Sibiu, let me explain some words that we frequently use in our relationship with food. I will firstly answer the following questions: What exactly does gastronomy mean? What does Slow Food stand for? Why should we eat locally? On the other hand, what is the New Transylvanian Cuisine? Let us take it gradually and see how all of these matters provide value to us here in Sibiu, in 2019 the Year of the European Gastronomic Region.
Mid September – still summer temperatures and sunny in Sibiu, still plenty of tourists taking photos of our medieval old town, still the main squares of the city bustling with concerts, outdoor events and a big crowd. And somewhere on the Mitropoliei Street, right next to the Big Square (Piata Mare), at Jules Bistro, in their summer garden, a handful of well known Romanian chefs from all over the country get together for 3 full days to bring gastronomy to a next level.
If in the first years of organizing Transilvania Gastronomică the aim of the organizers was to connect the restaurants of Sibiu to the small local producers of the county and to create and bring to life the concept of the Transylvanian New Cuisine, this year they dare to take this September 3 days event one big step further.
The Evangelical Church of Saint Mary from the Huet Square is the most famous Gothic-style church in Sibiu and its massive 73.34 m high bell tower is a landmark of the city. Every Friday morning, from 10 AM to 1 PM, going up the 192 stairs to get to the top of the tower bell will give you not only a beautiful view over Sibiu and its surroundings, but also a proper gastronomy lesson.
That we love Sibiu is no longer a secret. Neither is that we love the whole county of Sibiu, with all its history, culture and diversity. And what’s not to love about it – beautiful landscapes, traditions that are still being kept, houses with old and well preserved architecture, villages with so many stories to be told around the fire, rich and diverse cuisine, rural life at its best. In a world that’s going too global, these villages keep to their local diversity.
Some might say that Sibiu is a cultural city, with lots of events happening almost every day of the week. I wouldn’t argue with that, but this city still lacks some socializing, after work events for people who are not in the mood anymore to spend their nights in dark clubs surrounded by mostly teenagers and students.
The Chocolates Of Life 