Late summer means watermelons in Moldova! Huge watermelons can
be bought off the back of a cart on the side of the road. Massive chunks are
tucked into and there is no ladylike way of tackling it! We have taken to
Watermelon eating competitions with the team, which has been hysterical.
Watermelon can be eaten at any time and watermelon snack was incorporated into
a wedding celebration that we attended the other day. By mid-afternoon all the
guests piled out into the cool of the shade to tuck in.
The locals boil their home-grown fruits over the fire to
make compote. This can then be drunk warm or left to cool. The fruit is left in
and it is served with a ladle, like punch. Cherry, apple, pear, peach compotes are
all popular.
Plachenta is a local dish made with puff pastry and cheese
in a sort of savoury plait. As I’m not a cheese fan I can’t stand the stuff and
our relationship didn’t get off to the best start as we first called it placenta!
The locals grow much of their own food, which therefore
means that season’s hugely dictate their diets. As so much produce is harvested in
late summer, the fruits and vegetables are bottled and pickled for the winter
months when food is more scarce. The massive jars are then kept in the cellars of
the houses.
