Vărzari – traditional Maramureș pies baked in cabbage leaves, filled with sheep’s cheese, green onions and dill. The recipe comes from Dunca Ioana, 59 years old, from Șieu, and was collected within the Maramureș – GastroEtnoArt project of the Maramureș Museum.
🥣 Ingredients
- sămătișă yogurt (skimmed milk left after the sour cream is harvested)
- 2 tablespoons lard
- 2-3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- cornmeal as much as it contains
- 1-2 tablespoons wheat flour (if browned cornmeal is used)
- grated sheep’s cheese
- finely chopped green onion tails
- finely chopped dill
- cabbage leaves
👩🍳 How to prepare
Make a dough from sămătișă yogurt, lard, eggs, baking soda and cornmeal as much as it contains. If browned cornmeal is used, add 1-2 tablespoons of wheat flour.
The filling is made from grated sheep’s cheese, finely chopped green onion tails and finely chopped dill. Spread the dough on a cabbage leaf, put the cheese filling and fold the leaf. Bake the vărzari on the embers or in the oven.
📖 The story of the recipe
The recipe was offered by Dunca Ioana, 59 years old, from Șieu, and is part of the collection of traditional multi-ethnic recipes „Maramureș – GastroEtnoArt” published by the Maramureș Museum in Sighetu Marmației. Vărzari were an everyday dish in Maramureș households, cooked simply on the embers, with ingredients people had at hand.
📺 Video recipe
You can watch the step-by-step preparation here: Vărzari – video
🔍 What’s next
If you like Maramureș pies, also try folds on cabbage leaf from corn flour, another traditional recipe, from Valea Stejarului.
Recipe source: Maramureș Museum Sighetu Marmației – Maramureș GastroEtnoArt
Photo source: Facebook / Maramureș Museum
