Medieval Christmas, a boyar menu.
The taste is a grand boyar – popular saying (photo: Mihai Plămădeală)
Some things never change, like the smoked pork and beans, a gastronomic combination associated in the Middle and East Europe with the winter holidays, a dish that was probably consumed in the Middle Ages with the same joy as today. Nomen Est Omen members kept in their memory, journal and photo album, something that represents the whole idea of a beans and pork dish. The action took place in Sighisoara, at the House with Deer, on the occasion of a festival named Medieval Christmas. The chef, specialized in pheasant with backed fruits and beef in coffee sauce, confessed afterwards that for a backed beans recipe one has to “wash the beans and leave it in cold water for around eight hours. The smoked pork too must be kept in a big cask, covered with cold water, for almost the same time, but the water must be changed every four hours. These preparations should be done in the evening, in order for the food to be cooked the next day, starting with boiling the pork in a big pot with laurel and thyme. Separately, beans is boiled for a few minutes, then the water is thrown away and refreshed with cold water, together with a parsnip. Then comes a sauce prepared from a soffritto of onions and carrots and tomatoes or tomato sauce, salt and pepper. When the beans are half boiled, the pork is added and this mixture is left to boil together. It is hard to estimate a certain time, because the whole story depends on the quality of the beans. “Good things take time and skills.”
