Moldovan Table, O Masa

 

A little drum roll please, I present the Moldovan table.  This type of masa (table) is what traditionally is expected here for any important celebration including hramul (town's patron saint), Ziua de Nastere (birthday), nunta (wedding), Craciun (Christmas), Pasti (Easter).  This beautiful room you see set for company was just a rough storage room a year ago.  As Sergiu said, "we worked like horses" to make it this nice.  I love the colors of the pillow embroidery in the corner of the room.  I think these items confirm that guests are welcome to stay if they need too after celebrating.  Our first menu item is a big favorite in my house.  It's chicken aspic or "pui racituri".  Aspic of course is a savoury clear jelly prepared from chicken stock and then refrigerated.  Next we have a meat selection of salami's and ham "sunca" garnished with a slice of red pepper.  Our next meat plate is either sliced breaded pork steak or meat balls made from chopped meat.  Next is a fish plate.  Either fried fish served cold or caviar on bread (orange or black).  A salad dish is next.  Its topped with shredded egg yolk, a layer of mayonnaise, underneath is a layer of chopped beets and some fish pate.  Another fish plate and this time the fish is pickled and salty topped with olives and lemons.  Next a mixed salad that hasn't been mixed as yet.  It seems common to serve the ingredients as we see them here and let the guests mix them.  There's slices of ham, cheese, cuke, crutons, and hardboiled egg.  Of course the dressing is mayonnaise.  (Did I mention that any supermarket will have a twelve foot cooler display of nothing but mayonnaise?)  Next a humble salad plate of cascaval (cheese), rosii (tomatoes) and castraveti (cukes).  On a long table as we have here, there is usually a complete set of each of the above entrees on either half of the table.  That way people can just reach and help themselves.  What else happens at these masa's?  Well there usually is a small shot glass at each place for some spirits, such as cognac, whiskey, or vodka.  Sometimes during the meal, the house wine will be served a glass at a time to each person at the meal.  During the meal, the host will add other plates to the table such as sarmale which is cabbage rolls filled with rice or meat.  And small meat balls and mushrooms in a butter sauce.  And our host will be making sure you have plenty of sliced bread at your plate.  This is big, hearty home made bread.  Well recently we had occasion to have masa at my house.  Our town's patron saint, St Parascovia, was October 27th  and here you see Iulia my host mom with her brother in law Andre and his wife.  And it was Liviu's 2nd birthday on October 29th.  You see him here with his grandpa Ilie and flashlight in his hand.  Notice his big brother Marius in the background.  Well I will end by saying "pofta buna"  or good appetite.