When passing through Romania there was one particular region we were encouraged to visit: Transylvania. Transylvania is located in the central part of Romania and is known as a historical region. It became famous by the novel Dracula, the vampire who lived in a castle in Transylvania. Even though the novel was written by Bram Stoker in 1897, today Transylvania is still associated with vampires. Tourists still look for the castle of count Dracula. You can still find the castle Bran, which has a Gothic fairy structure, and was the inspiration for Bram Stoker to start his story.
The
name Transylvania comes from the Latin ‘ultra silvam’, meaning ‘the land beyond
the forest’. It is surrounded by the arc of the Carpathian mountain chain. It
covers an area of 34.177 square miles and has a population around 5 million.
In
Transylvania you can find some well-preserved medieval towns. Such as Brasov,
known for its Old Saxon architecture and citadel ruins. And also the town Sibiu
where you find beautiful cobblestone streets and pastel-coloured houses. In
Sighisoara we saw the hilltop citadel, secret passageways and a 14th
century clock tower.
While
travelling through Transylvania we also discovered the local cuisine. It
displayed a variety of flavours by using lots of spices, like thyme, red pepper
and tarragon. Some popular meats here are pork, mutton, and veal. Which are
used in almost all the local dishes. Often soups are also added to the menu,
characterized by the sour cream and egg yolk. Because Romania is the world’s
leading producer of cabbage they have a special recipe here for lasagne. It is
called ‘Varza a la Cluj’, and consists of several layers of finely shredded
cabbage, minced pork of veal, with rice and bacon. A delicious and unique dish
you have to try.
Transylvania
is also known for its vineyards and the production of light wines and
double-distilled liquors. With its cool climate the area has a long tradition
of producing different kind of wines, such as Feteasca Alba and Sauvignon
Blanc.
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It was nice to see Transylvania in real life. I read the book dracula and now I can imagine the story. Even Dracula's castle is very impressive. It was instructive to explore the history of this castle.
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