"You haven't eaten enough" —
the highest compliment.
Sarmale started with a recipe we weren't allowed to write down. Elena Munteanu — who grew up in a village outside Cluj where every family made their own țuică and nobody agreed on the right amount of rice in sarmale — brought it here in 2009.
The recipe is still not written down. It lives in how long you let the pork fat render, how tight you roll the cabbage, whether it's raining outside.
We use clay pots because the heat is different. We use pork from a farm in Pennsylvania because the flavor is closer to what she remembers. We use fresh dill because dried dill is a sadness we refuse to participate in.
Elena Munteanu
Head Chef & Founder · Cluj, 1972
Before 7am
Six hours, every time
By evening
847★
Five-star reviews
6hrs
Hours per clay pot
15+
Romanian recipes
2009
Years in business
