History

Tochitură is a Wallachian peasant dish, regionally adapted: the Bucharest version uses pork ribs, sausage and slănină; the Moldovan version adds borș. The traditional pairing is with mămăligă and brânză, a fried egg slid on top in restaurants. The pomana porcului winter pig-slaughter feast lays the foundation for the household tochitură.

Common allergens: Pork, Dairy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 600g pork shoulder, cut into 3cm cubes
  • 200g smoked sausage (cârnați), sliced
  • 100g slănină (cured pork belly) or smoked bacon, diced
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 200ml white wine
  • 300ml chicken or pork stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 eggs
  • Mămăligă and 200g brânză de oi to serve

Method

  1. Render the slănină in a heavy pot over medium heat for 5 minutes until the fat releases.
  2. Add the pork shoulder cubes and brown all over, 8-10 minutes.
  3. Lower the heat and add the onion and sausage. Cook gently for 10 minutes until softened.
  4. Stir in the garlic, both paprikas, and bay leaves; cook 1 minute.
  5. Pour in the wine and let it reduce by half. Add the stock, salt and pepper, and simmer covered on low heat for 90 minutes, until the pork is tender.
  6. While the stew finishes, prepare a batch of mămăligă (see the mămăligă recipe).
  7. Fry the eggs in a separate pan, sunny side up.
  8. Spoon the tochitură over the mămăligă, top with crumbled brânză and a fried egg per plate.
  9. Serve with a glass of dry red wine from Recaș or Murfatlar.

Tip from the editors. The smoked-paprika depth is the difference between an ordinary stew and tochitură. Use Romanian or Hungarian paprika; supermarket sweet paprika lacks the smoke.

Where to eat tochitură

Tochitură in Bucharest

Hanu' lui Manuc ★ 4.4

Traditional Romanian$$$lipscaniMon-Thu 10:00-24:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-02:00; Sun 10:00-24:00

The 1808 caravanserai-turned-restaurant Hanu' lui Manuc on Franceză serves classic Romanian plates around one of Europe's last remaining inn courtyards.

Signature: Mici, Sarmale, Lamb tochitură

Order: Mici and a lamb tochitură; the cabbage rolls feed two.

Tip: The courtyard fills first; ask for a balcony table inside the U-shaped inn.

Strada Franceză 62-64, 030106 București Book →

Vatra ★ 4.3

Romanian$$cismigiuMon-Sun 12:00-23:30

Vatra on Brezoianu cooks traditional Romanian on bakestones and in tin kettles, in a 1920s Transylvanian interior next to Cișmigiu Park in Bucharest.

Signature: Sarmale, Tochitură, Romanian cheese plate

Order: Sarmale with mămăligă; the cheese plate of Brașov sheep and Sibiu cow.

Tip: The veranda opens May through October; lunch fixed menu is 45 RON.

Strada Ion Brezoianu 19, 010131 București Book →

Caru' cu bere ★ 4.6

Traditional Romanian$$$lipscaniMon-Sun 10:00-24:00

The 1879 Caru' cu bere on Stavropoleos serves the soul of Bucharest dining, where mici were recorded in a 1920 chef's letter to the Academy.

Signature: Mici, Sarmale, Papanași

Order: Mici with mustard and ciorbă de burtă, then papanași for dessert.

Tip: Walk-up queues from 12:30 onward; the upstairs hall has the live folk band.

Strada Stavropoleos 5, 030107 București Book →

Crama Domnească ★ 4.1

Traditional Romanian$$lipscaniTue-Sun 12:00-24:00; Mon 14:00-24:00

Crama Domnească sits in the cellar of the Princely Court on Șelari, the Princely Wine Cellar in Bucharest, with live folk and house wines by carafe.

Signature: Sarmale, Mămăligă, Ciorbă de burtă

Order: Mămăligă with brânză and smântână; a clay-pot tochitură.

Tip: Live taraf music every evening; cash and card both accepted.

Strada Șelari 13-15, Old Town, București

Lacrimi și Sfinți ★ 4.5

Modern Romanian$$$lipscaniMon-Sun 12:00-24:00

Poet Mircea Dinescu's Lacrimi și Sfinți on Șepcari pours wines from his Cetate estate alongside modern Romanian classics in Bucharest Old Town today.

Signature: Sarmale, Mămăligă cu brânză, Slănină plate

Order: The signature sarmale; a glass of Cetate Riesling Italian.

Tip: The wine list is heavy on Dinescu's own bottlings; ask the room for the day's house pour.

Strada Șepcari 16, Old Town, București 030116

More cities are in research. Want tochitură covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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