Romani (Gypsy) Potluck

Romani cuisine (Romani: Kherutni xabe) is the cuisine of the Romani people. There is no specific "Romani cuisine"; it varies and their diet usually reflects the culinary traditions of the respective countries in which they have often lived for centuries. However, throughout their history, Romani dishes have emerged in certain European countries, some of which show traces of South Asian influence. The cuisine of Muslim Romani people is often influenced by Balkan and Turkish cuisine. Traditionally, many Roma would avoid eating food prepared by non-Roma.[
The use of paprika, garlic and bell peppers is common amongst Romani in the Balkans. Stews are common amongst Romani throughout Europe.[2] Potatoes are also a staple in their diet. Another traditional dish cooked by Romani people is sarma, salmaia or sodmay (cabbage stuffed with meat and rice).[3] Romani people consume dishes consisting of stuffed peppers, especially on holidays and special occasions. Romani people also cook pufe (made from fried flour), xaritsa (fried cornbread), bogacha (baked bread) and xaimoko (a meal consisting of rabbit meat). They serve their meals with kafa (coffee) and chao (tea) with sugar and milk or fruits such as strawberries, peach slices, apple slices, or lemon.[4][5] There are several spicy Romani soups. Fusui eski zumi is a Romani butter bean soup often made with ham. Pertia is a soup made with jellied pig’s feet and pig’s ears. Romani stews are usually made with green and red peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, and some meat. There are a variety of stews in Romani cuisine, like one Romani chicken paprikash called puyo. Whole meats, like spit-roasted pigs or lambs, are commonly prepared for Romani rituals. Large hams and lamb steaks bought wholesale and barbecued with a customary hot sauce called chile mole are also eaten at Romani feasts. The fat crust of ham is many Roma's favorite part of the meat. The Roma have their own method of making coffee and tea. Romani coffee is often boiled with the groats and often dipped off the top with a spoon. At Romani feasts, sarmi, meats, hot sauces, celery sticks (often eaten by the Roma for virility), salads, pirogo, saviako, and a stew or two are usually served. Romani people only serve fruit on the table at pomana feasts.[6]

Romani food may be cooked outdoors in cauldrons atop a wooden flame.[7] Bread forms an essential part of any meal. Romani cuisine is also, often out of necessity, inexpensive to prepare and centers portable ingredients. Potatoes, peppers, cabbage and rice are often the building blocks in Romani cuisine. Beef and pork are rare inclusions, while traditional proteins like chicken, lamb, and goat; game animals like rabbits and hares; wild birds such as quails and partridge; and snails are more common proteins of the Roma.[8] The Roma also consume roasted apples, almond cakes, rabbit or hedgehog stew, clay-baked hedgehog and trout, snails in broth, pig stomach, and fig cakes.[9] Rabbit stew is made with rabbit meat, innards, bacon and onions.[10] Baked hedgehog is flavored with garlic, and is called hotchi-witchi or niglo, in Romani.[11] To prepare the dish, the hedgehog is wrapped in clay and placed on white-hot stones. When the roasting is done, the quills attached to the clay are pulled off and the hedgehog dish is served wrapped in leaves.[12]
The use of red pepper in some traditional Romani dishes is influenced by the Rajputs.[13]
Due to the lack of Romanipen and assimilation to Turkish culture and Islam as religion, Turkish Roma eat chicken and eggs and have their own recipe for it which is well-known in Turkey.[14]
Nomadic Roma collect young nettles in the spring.[15]
Cornmeal is a staple for the Kalderash.[16] Romani slaves were fed cornmeal during slavery in Romania.[17] Romani people also make an unleavened bread using cornmeal mush called ankrusté flavored with cumin and coriander.[18]
Coffee is a prized drink among Romani people. Wild fruit, berries, leafy plants and small animals formed the bulk of Romani people's diet.[19] Some Roma prepare Turkish coffee.[20]
Eggplants are cooked in tomato sauce. The Roma pickle gherkins, cabbage, beets, ripe olives and a cabbage-cauliflower mixture. The Roma also cook pogača bread. Romani people prepare borscht with beets, cabbage, bay leaves and soup bones. It is often served with sour cream and extra vegetables.[21]
Romani people pick mushrooms and berries from forests.[22]
Since their migration from India through Armenia in the 1300s, the Romani people have acquired extensive knowledge about the nutritional and medicinal properties of various natural ingredients. They have mastered the art of utilizing berries, nettles, beech leaves, and herbs in their cuisine. Living near the sea, they also gather limpets and mussels to supplement their grocery purchases, which are often funded by horse trading. In their quest for flavorful meat, the Romani people prefer geese, goats, pork, and wild salmon over beef and mutton. They have a stock of dried mushrooms that add a distinct flavor to their ragouts, while dandelion roots serve as a strong ingredient for their coffee, which is further enhanced with wild honey.[11]
The Romani people value recipes that incorporate ingredients such as butter and eggs from free-range hens, molasses, unrefined sugar, and wholemeal flour. In their cooking, they believe in using generous amounts of bread, garlic, pepper, salt, and vinegar for good luck. They also engage in hunting and gathering activities, collecting dulse, eels, sea kale, game, seabird offal, gooseberries, and mulberries to create flavorful soups and boiled puddings. A beloved recipe among children involves hollowing out a potato and filling it with elderberry jam before baking it in embers.[11]
Spanish Romani cuisine is characterized by being simple, nutritious, colorful, and spicy. Some of the most common dishes are stews, prepared in a multitude of variations (with beans and fennel, cod, etc.), gachas, flamenquines (stuffed and fried pork rolls), and so on.[23] Gitanos use chickpeas and saffron.[24]
Joe Gray is a traditional British Romani stew that can be made with most meats; usually rabbit meat but also eels.[2

Source: Wikipedia