Mititei
 Mititei on the grill. |
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Alternative name(s) | Mici |
| Place of origin |  |
| Region or state | Bucharest, Romania |
| Creator(s) | Ionescu Iordache |
| Details | |
| Course | Main course |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredient(s) | Lamb Pork Beef Coriander Onion Garlic Black pepper Thyme Sodium bicarbonate |
| Other information | best served with Mustard |
Mititei (Romanian pronunciation: [mitiˈtej]) or mici (pronounced [mit͡ʃʲ], both Romanian words meaning "small things") is a traditional Romanian dish of grilled ground meat rolls made from a mixture of beef, lamb and pork and spices such as garlic, black pepper, thyme, coriander, anise, savory and sometimes a touch of paprika. Sodium bicarbonate and broth or water are also added to the mixture.
It is best served accompanied by mustard and beer. Ideally the mustard should not be overly tart, lest it interferes with the taste of the mititei. The dish is very popular in Romania.
Contents |
History [edit]
Nowadays, they are sold both fresh in restaurants and pre-made in grocery stores.
Romanian version [edit]
The journalist Constantin Bacalbașa wrote in his book Dictatura gastronomică that mititei were invented one night at an inn called Iordache on Covaci's street in the old Bucharest, held by a Transylvanian named Ionescu Iordache, who was famous for his sausages. One evening while he was missing sausage casings, he laid the rolls of meat directly onto the grill.
Bosnian version [edit]
Another source reports the Bosnian origin of the national dish mititei, with the Bosnian Cevapcici. Many Bosnian dishes are similar to those of Romania, such as some sausages. However, most recipes for the former Yugoslavia are reminiscent of Turkish cuisine, hence it is not surprising, given that both countries were under Ottoman influence, that their two national dishes, the mici and the adana kebab are like cevapcici.
Exemption from Mctax [edit]
In 2010 the government of Traian Basescu, through the Health Minister Attila Cseke, citing that as a result of a diet rich in junk food, obesity affects more than 20% the Romanian population,[1] decided to impose a tax on junk food, known popularly as Mctaxa (referring to McDonald's food)on fast food, such as McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut and other junk food, such as snacks, deserts and sodas.[2] Mititei and sarmale, traditionally home-made foods, were exempt.[3]
Notes and references [edit]
- ^ (French) "Obésité: fléau mondial". RFI.
- ^ (Romanian) "Guvernul Boc bagă McTaxa pe hamburgeri, sucuri și dulciuri ca să îngrașe bugetul. Ce părere ai de proiectului ministrului Attila Cseke de la Sănătate?". Gandul.
- ^ (Romanian) "Mititeii si sarmalele nu vor fi taxate. Cati bani vrea ministrul Sanatatii sa stranga din McTaxa si impozitul pe boala". Dailybusiness.
See also [edit]
External links [edit]
- (Romanian) Wikibooks Cookbook – 1920 recipe for mititei
- (English) Mici recipe
- (Romanian) Shopmaniac
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