Cooking festival

For spectators it was just a more crowded picnic next to the Palace of Parliament. But for the cooks it was serious competition. The contest started, obviously, with appetisers. Friday plateaus of entrees were prepared, followed by main courses and deserts. On Saturday, it was the day of heavy dishes: main courses made in large cauldrons, grilled or cooked on a stove. Special guest was Robert Rainford, Canadian chef who gave some demonstrations.

Chef Ștefan Bercea prepared the largest omelette, entering Guinness World of Records. With the help of 19 cooks, he prepared a small omelette of 3,75 tons, for which 30.000 eggs were cracked, one and a half ton of potatoes was peeled and 300 kilograms of vegetables were chopped. 400 kilograms of bacon and just as much cheese, plus 30 kg of parsley, 15 kg of salt and 3 kg of pepper completed the recipe. To cook the 20 square meters of omelette, 200 liters of oil were used.

The visitors were also invited to take part in competitions. Prizes were given for the best fish recipe, the best home made conserve for fruit and vegies: pickles, jam, compote or bullion. The cook who prepared the best Romanian product was rewarded with a trophy with the name of late chef and author Radu Anton Roman. Other traditional local sweets could be tasted like the Szekely roll (bakery with walnuts) and cotton candy.

The taste for world records was not extinguished so two other performances were marked. This time for two traditional Romanian dishes: the longest „little” (the most popular grilled item in the country, something in between a hamburger and a sausage, that goes excellent with mustard); and the longest stuffed cabbage roll. The team of Hotel Păltiniș managed to beat these records using an instrument invented by them for the second item. And spectators were challenged at the national championship of eating „littles”.