This page is a celebration of the recipes that make Romanian Christmas unforgettable. From my Aunty’s homemade sausages — seasoned and prepared with a kind of love you can’t measure — to the iconic Cozonac, soft, fragrant and swirled with walnuts and cocoa, these dishes bring the spirit of home into every bite.

Whether you grew up with these traditions or are discovering them for the first time, I invite you to explore the flavours that define our winter celebrations. These recipes are more than food; they are stories, memories and a delicious reminder that home is never too far away.

 

Aunty’s Home-Made Sausages

A traditional family recipe, perfect for winter gatherings and Christmas cooking.

Ingredients

  • 5 kg pork meat
  • 10 m pig hog casings (standard sausage size)
  • 50 g ground black pepper
  • 50 g salt
  • 50 g thyme
  • 5 garlic bulbs
  • 20 g sweet paprika

Preparing the Meat

  1. Mince the pork and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the ground black pepper, salt, thyme, and sweet paprika.
  3. Finely chop the garlic, crush it into a paste, and place it into a 500 ml (or larger) bowl.
  4. Add 250 ml of room-temperature water to the garlic paste and mix until smooth.
  5. Pour half of this garlic-water mixture into the meat bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.

Filling the Sausages

  1. Prepare your sausage-making machine and fill it with the seasoned meat mixture.
  2. Check each hog casing for holes or tears, then rinse and drain them fully.
  3. Secure one end of a casing onto the filling tube and slide the remainder along the tube, leaving enough at the end to tie later.
  4. Keep the remaining garlic-water mixture nearby as you begin to fill the sausages.
  5. Each time the machine needs refilling, brush a little of the garlic-water mixture onto the interior walls of the chamber to help the meat move smoothly.
  6. When all the sausages are filled, place the sausages on a tray and leave them to drain in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking or freezing.

Serving Suggestions

  • Roasted for a crispy skin
  • Grilled for a smoky flavour
  • Pan-fried for everyday meals
  • Added to stews, casseroles, or Christmas dishes

Serving them with mashed potatoes, rustic bread, or pickled vegetables makes a perfect winter plate.

Home-made Cozonac 

Cozonac is a cherished Christmas tradition, prepared with care as families come together to knead, rise, and bake the rich, sweet dough. More than a festive treat, it symbolises generosity and togetherness, with many households baking extra loaves to share with relatives and neighbours. Its warm, comforting aroma fills the home in the days leading up to Christmas, creating a sense of anticipation and marking the true beginning of the holiday season.

Ingredients for 2 loafs:

Starter

  • 50 g white flour
  • 50 ml whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
  • 7 g yeast

Dough

  • 950 g flour
  • 450 ml whole milk
  • 200 g white granulated sugar
  • 150 g sunflower oil
  • 100 g butter, melted
  • 4 eggs
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 sachets vanilla sugar (approx. 8 g each)
  • 30 ml rum essence

Filling

  • 30 g cocoa powder
  • 200 g ground walnuts
  • 50 g white granulated sugar
  • One-quarter of the whisked egg whites reserved from the dough mixture

Glaze

  • 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk

Starter Method

  1. Place the yeast, sugar, and milk into a bowl and allow the mixture to ferment.
  2. Once fermented, mix it with the flour and set aside to prove for approximately 25 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Dough Method

  1. Gently warm the milk and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lemon zest, vanilla sugar, and rum essence, then set aside.
  2. Separate the eggs. Place the yolks in a small bowl and mix them with a pinch of salt; set aside.
  3. Whisk the egg whites until foamy and reserve about one-quarter of the foam for the filling.
  4. Add the salted egg yolks to the milk mixture and begin mixing. Gradually incorporate the flour, followed by the butter and oil.
  5. Continue mixing and kneading until the dough becomes smooth, silky, and elastic.
  6. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise in a warm environment (above 22°C) for about 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.

Filling Method

  1. Gently fold all the filling ingredients together with the reserved whisked egg whites. Set aside.

Assembly and Baking

  1. Prepare two loaf tins by lining them with baking paper and lightly greasing them with oil.
  2. Divide the risen dough into two equal portions. Roll each portion out into a rectangle.
  3. Spread the filling evenly over each piece of dough, then roll each one into a log.
  4. Tuck the ends of each log underneath to secure the filling.
  5. Place the rolled logs into the prepared tins and leave them to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
  6. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5).
  7. Brush the tops of the loaves with a glaze made from egg yolk and milk. Using a toothpick, make several small holes to prevent the crust from cracking ( example in the photo) 
  8. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (Gas Mark 4) and bake for 30 minutes.
  9. Check the colour and insert a toothpick into the centre of the loaf—if it comes out clean and dry, the loaf is fully baked; if it comes out wet, continue baking for up to another 20 minutes, or until done.
  10. Allow the loaves to cool completely before slicing and serving.