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Danube: Recipes and Stories from Eastern Europe
A culinary journey with easy-to-make recipes from the enchanting Eastern lands of the Danube River. In Danube, the James Beard Award-winning food writer and cook Irina Georgescu takes you on a gastronomic adventure as you journey along the Danube River, unearthing the hidden gems of Eastern European cuisine. With over 80 extraordinary recipes for everyday cooking – many focusing on vegetables, beans and pulses without meat – this cookbook is a testament to the diverse cultures of Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria in those border regions shaped by the Danube. The recipes are simple and practical, from Potato Stew with Filo Crust, Leek and Rice Pie, Noodles with Sauerkraut and Slow-cooked Beans served with Cheese Breads to Horseradish Cornbread and Rice Pilafs. For those who crave the meat-centric dishes of Eastern European festivities, Danube offers mouth-watering and no-fuss recipes that will transport you to the heart of tradition, including the life-giving Lamb and Pearl Barley Curban Soup, Easter Lamb Stufat with Spring Onions and Sunday Pot-Roasted Chicken with Herby Stock. With stunning location and food photography throughout, Danube is your passport to a world of flavours, stories, and traditions that will leave you hungry for more.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published December 17, 2024
21 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Irina Georgescu
4 books21 followersIrina Georgescu is a food writer whose work draws on her Eastern European heritage. Irina feels very strongly about exploring the world through food, understanding people through what they eat and putting things in the context of history. It is her love and commitment to talking about Romanian culinary traditions that made her pursue her dream and write about this heritage. Her cooking is inspired by her mother and grandmother, by her life in the busy capital city Bucharest and by her constant explorations into the history and food of her country. Whilst trying to keep close to the traditional ways of cooking, she also brings her own interpretation to these dishes. She was born in Bucharest, Romania, and now lives in the UK.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 11, 2025
This beautiful cookbook takes armchair travel and recipes to an extra level by adding history; and I am so here for all of it. From the introduction, “This is a book about the lands of the river Danube meandering eastwards between Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria…We will discover how people eat at home”. The intricately designed cover with ‘Danube’ in all caps, in raised gold letters and the beautifully designed motif of vegetable, fruit, and flowers weaving through curls of blue (representative of the Danube river) catch your eye, and the content within the book will keep it focused. The illustrations are themed throughout the book, along with photos of the food and places. I was so taken with the history shared that I pulled out our atlas and poured over the pages focused on that region.
One of the first things I learned about the food of the areas along the Danube, which, after the Volga, is the second longest river in Europe, is that cornmeal has been a major staple since the 1700s and mǎmǎgliǎ (polenta) is often part of meals. So, it seems fitting that the first recipes I made had this ubiquitous ingredient.
* Pǎpuși de Dragavei - Oltenian Roasted Chard with Garlic Dressing and Creamy Polenta
This recipe leaves the chard whole, tossed with oil and roasted until it’s both tender and a little crispy. Paired with the mother recipe of the book, the mǎmǎgliǎ, and topped with a garlicky sauce.
* Mǎmǎgliǎ la Cuptor - Baked Cornmeal with Sourcream, Cheese and Eggs
It was fun to have a baked egg dish that had scrambled eggs in a nest of cooked cornmeal, especially when the eggs are mixed with sourcream, topped with cheese and baked.
* Mâncare de Praz cu Mǎsline - Leek Stew with Olives
This one is for serious olive lovers -- of which I would be a card carrying member if there were such a thing! Loved the robust taste of the briny olives, tomatoes, and the leeks in it. I cleaned my bowl with the crusty bread served alongside.
While this book is pretty enough to be a cocktail table book, it’s so full of interesting, and not overly complicated, recipes that you’ll actually want to cook from it. Hardie Grant provided me with a copy of this cookbook; the opinions shared are my unbiased review.
One of the first things I learned about the food of the areas along the Danube, which, after the Volga, is the second longest river in Europe, is that cornmeal has been a major staple since the 1700s and mǎmǎgliǎ (polenta) is often part of meals. So, it seems fitting that the first recipes I made had this ubiquitous ingredient.
* Pǎpuși de Dragavei - Oltenian Roasted Chard with Garlic Dressing and Creamy Polenta
This recipe leaves the chard whole, tossed with oil and roasted until it’s both tender and a little crispy. Paired with the mother recipe of the book, the mǎmǎgliǎ, and topped with a garlicky sauce.
* Mǎmǎgliǎ la Cuptor - Baked Cornmeal with Sourcream, Cheese and Eggs
It was fun to have a baked egg dish that had scrambled eggs in a nest of cooked cornmeal, especially when the eggs are mixed with sourcream, topped with cheese and baked.
* Mâncare de Praz cu Mǎsline - Leek Stew with Olives
This one is for serious olive lovers -- of which I would be a card carrying member if there were such a thing! Loved the robust taste of the briny olives, tomatoes, and the leeks in it. I cleaned my bowl with the crusty bread served alongside.
While this book is pretty enough to be a cocktail table book, it’s so full of interesting, and not overly complicated, recipes that you’ll actually want to cook from it. Hardie Grant provided me with a copy of this cookbook; the opinions shared are my unbiased review.
July 15, 2025
This is a beautiful book!! It’s the kind that I want to display in my kitchen on a bookshelf display rack to make it look like I’m a fancy cook. Lol.
The back cover says “with over 80 simple and practical recipes for everyday cooking…” and that made me sad. As a busy American, just reading the ingredient list made me sigh a little bit. I know I don’t have time to find ingredients and make these items, so for me - maybe not so simple and practical.
The book is filled with history and stories from Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia, and I found that very interesting. I love that people preserve their culture so much and wish I did that (though I have no “culture” to actually speak of).
There are a lot of really great photos (of food and also places/scenery) but no identification of what they are, which was a bit of a bummer. I would have liked that.
And this honestly has nothing to do with anything but on the inside introduction page, the author is wearing a gorgeous outfit, in particular the blouse.
The back cover says “with over 80 simple and practical recipes for everyday cooking…” and that made me sad. As a busy American, just reading the ingredient list made me sigh a little bit. I know I don’t have time to find ingredients and make these items, so for me - maybe not so simple and practical.
The book is filled with history and stories from Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia, and I found that very interesting. I love that people preserve their culture so much and wish I did that (though I have no “culture” to actually speak of).
There are a lot of really great photos (of food and also places/scenery) but no identification of what they are, which was a bit of a bummer. I would have liked that.
And this honestly has nothing to do with anything but on the inside introduction page, the author is wearing a gorgeous outfit, in particular the blouse.
February 28, 2025
What a lovely book. Great narrative, breathtaking photography...and the recipes are really good! Not surprised as I loved Tava and Carpathia from the same author.
Bakers and vegetarians shouldn't pass this by--there are lots of exciting breads, rolls, salads, hearty vegetarian dishes, and desserts. The yeasted horseradish cornbread served with the leek & olive stew was a winner! Next in my queue is making the Drob de Ciuperci, a mushroom and spring onion loaf. The author says that a drob is a traditional Easter lamb meatloaf, made with offal and scallions. This is her vegetarian version with mushrooms and optional boiled eggs. Looking forward to it!
Bakers and vegetarians shouldn't pass this by--there are lots of exciting breads, rolls, salads, hearty vegetarian dishes, and desserts. The yeasted horseradish cornbread served with the leek & olive stew was a winner! Next in my queue is making the Drob de Ciuperci, a mushroom and spring onion loaf. The author says that a drob is a traditional Easter lamb meatloaf, made with offal and scallions. This is her vegetarian version with mushrooms and optional boiled eggs. Looking forward to it!
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March 26, 2025The stories about the culture and history of the peoples living near the Danube River was the highlight of this book.
I'm not sure I would consider this area Eastern Europe - more like South-Eastern - as they are a distinct culture of their own, compared to what I'd call EE (i.e. Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Russia, etc.), with different influences over the ages. I mean, the Danube technically extends to Germany, which is hardly Eastern.
Nonetheless, the content is good, if the title a tad misleading.
I'm not sure I would consider this area Eastern Europe - more like South-Eastern - as they are a distinct culture of their own, compared to what I'd call EE (i.e. Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Russia, etc.), with different influences over the ages. I mean, the Danube technically extends to Germany, which is hardly Eastern.
Nonetheless, the content is good, if the title a tad misleading.
July 9, 2025
Gorgeous book. Plenty of hearty recipes, but be aware lots of dairy and meat. I love how she celebrates Romania's multiethnic heritage by connecting the recipes with ethnic enclaves and the migration history of the region.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews