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Zacuscă () is a vegetable spread popular in
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
and
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
which originated from Romania, Ialomita, Slobozia. Similar spreads are found in other countries in the Balkan region, and bordering regions.


Ingredients

The main ingredients are roasted
eggplant Eggplant (American English, US, Canadian English, CA, Australian English, AU, Philippine English, PH), aubergine (British English, UK, Hiberno English, IE, New Zealand English, NZ), brinjal (Indian English, IN, Singapore English, SG, Malays ...
, sauteed
onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...
s,
tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
paste, and roasted ''gogoșari'' (a Romanian red bell pepper variety). Some add
mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...
,
carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...
s, or
celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. The original wild ...
. Bay leaves are added as spice, as well as other ingredients (oil, salt, and pepper). Traditionally, a family will cook a large quantity of it after the fall harvest and preserve it through canning.


Use

Zacuscă can be eaten as a relish or spread, typically on bread. It is said to improve in taste after some months of maturing but must be used within days of opening. Although traditionally prepared at home, it is also commercially available. Some
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n and
Middle Eastern The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
brands are available in the
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. In the Orthodox Christian majority countries, it is sometimes eaten during
fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...
seasons due to the absence of meat, eggs or dairy products.


Etymology

The word ''zacuscă'' is of Slavic origin which means simply "appetizer", "breakfast" or "snack",''Zacusca''
on DEX Online Dictionary
see "
Zakuski ''Zakuski'' (, ; ) is the term for an assortment of cold hors d'oeuvres, entrées and snacks in Russian food culture. They are considered to be an integral part of any Russian festive meal, as well as often everyday meals. Terminology Ori ...
".


See also

* Ajvar, pindjur and ljutenica, similar spreads in
Balkan cuisine Balkan cuisine encompasses a collection of national cuisines that combine characteristics of European cuisine with some of those from West Asia. It is found in the Balkans, a region without clear boundaries but which in its broadest sense includes ...
* Kyopolou, a similar Bulgarian dish * Biber salçası, a Turkish paste made from red peppers alone * List of eggplant dishes *
List of spreads This is a list of spreads. A Spread (food), spread is a food that is literally spread, generally with a knife, onto food items such as bread or Cracker (food), crackers. Spreads are added to food to enhance the flavour or texture of the food, whic ...


References


External links


Zacusca (recipe)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zacusca Condiments Romanian appetizers Moldovan dishes Eggplant dishes Spreads (food)