Moldova's queen-of-the-kitchen chicken soup: a thin sour broth with homemade egg noodles, lovage and a finishing splash of fermented bran liquid or lemon juice.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Zeamă (also spelled zama) developed from Bessarabia's rural pantry of fermented grains and barnyard chickens. The sourness comes from fermented wheat-bran liquid called borș, sour grape juice or, in modern kitchens, lemon. The herb lovage gives zeamă its unmistakable celery-anise lift. Moldovan wedding custom names the day after the ceremony La Bors or La Zama, when a huge pot of zeamă is served before all other courses to revive the guests; the soup is reputed across Moldova to be the country's most reliable hangover cure.
Common allergens: Egg, Gluten
Tip from the editors. Use bone-in legs and thighs if you cannot find a whole farm chicken; supermarket roasters give a flat broth and the soup loses its body.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
La Taifas in Chișinău is the old village house with porch on Strada București, serving rustic Moldovan cooking and live folk music in a clay-pottery room.
Signature: Sarmale in cabbage leaves, Mămăligă with brânză, Cauldron-cooked tocăniță
Order: Tocăniță cooked in the cauldron with mămăligă and a shot of house țuică.
Tip: Book a porch table on a warm evening; the kitchen leans on cauldron stews and the placinte are made to order with a 20-minute wait.
Sălcioara in downtown Chișinău is the traditional Moldovan dining room with carved-wood interiors, evening live music and a kitchen built on village recipes.
Signature: Sarmale in vine leaves, Mămăligă with brânză and smântână, Zeamă chicken broth
Order: Sarmale wrapped in vine leaves with sour cream and mămăligă on the side.
Tip: Reserve a corner table for the live music nights; order the house brandy alongside the zeamă starter.
La Plăcinte on Șoseaua Hâncești 58 is the Botanica-side branch of Moldova's plăcinte chain, with the largest dine-in room and a kids' play area attached.
Signature: Plăcinte by the slice, Mămăligă with sour cream, Zeamă chicken soup
Order: Plăcinte with cabbage and cheese, mămăligă with brânză and smântână on the side.
Tip: This branch has the most reliable lunch turnover; the plăcinte tray refills hourly and the sit-down menu carries the full traditional list.
More cities are in research. Want zeamă covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.