Maramureș cuisine is one of Romania's best-preserved culinary traditions, closely tied to shepherding and mountain farm life. If you're coming to Borșa mainly for the hiking, it's worth a deliberate detour — many of the dishes below aren't on menus elsewhere in the country.
Core Dishes
Coleșă with cheese — a thicker style of cornmeal porridge, served with sheep's cheese — is one of the most common dishes on Maramureș tables. Just as widespread is tocană (or tocăniță), a slow-cooked meat stew usually served alongside cornmeal porridge. A distinct local variant of stuffed cabbage rolls, sarmale cu păsat, uses a filling based on cornmeal or barley grits rather than the rice used in most of the rest of the country.
For dessert or a snack, gomboți cu prune — potato-dough dumplings with a whole plum inside — are a seasonal specialty tied to the plum harvest at the end of summer and start of autumn.
Cheeses and Cured Meats from the Sheepfold
Caș and urdă, fresh sheep's cheeses, come straight from local sheepfolds and are usually served simply, with cornmeal porridge or bread. Maramureș cold platters commonly include smoked bacon (slănină), sausages, and smoked ham — pork products made from family recipes often passed down unchanged for generations.
Ceaun Cooking
Many guesthouses and cabins in the area cook meals for larger groups in a cast-iron ceaun over an open wood fire outdoors — a traditional method used for stews, goulash, or, around Easter, lamb. If you're staying somewhere with a yard or gazebo, ask whether they offer this kind of meal — it's a different experience from an ordinary restaurant dinner.
Horincă — the Traditional Drink
Horincă, Maramureș's traditional plum brandy, is often offered as a welcome drink at local guesthouses. It's a strong local spirit, usually served in small quantities, as an aperitif or at the end of a meal — not something to drink over the course of a hiking day.
Where to Find It
Many of the properties in our accommodation guide to Borșa and Moisei offer their own kitchen or ceaun-cooked meals — check each property's amenities section for details, or ask your host directly whether you can try a traditional dish during your stay.