Plăcintă facts for kids
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| Type | Pastry |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Region or state | Romania, Moldova |
| Main ingredients | soft cheese or apples |
| Variations | Placenta |
Plăcintă (say "pla-chin-tuh") is a yummy traditional pastry from Romania and Moldova. It looks like a thin, round or square-shaped cake. People usually fill it with tasty apples or a soft cheese called Urdă.
What's in a Name?
The word plăcintă has a cool history! It comes from the Latin word placenta, which meant "cake". This Latin word itself came from the ancient Greek word plakous, meaning "flat cake". So, the name tells you it's a flat, cake-like treat!
A Bite of History
The story of plăcintă goes way back to Ancient Rome. This was when Romania was part of the Roman Empire. Ancient Greek bakers were very good at making bread. They used olive oil, herbs, and cheese in their recipes.
When the Romans took over, they learned the secret of making these delicious cakes. At first, there were two main types of cakes: the libum and the placenta. The libum was a small cake often given as an offering to the gods.
But the placenta was special! Romans made it with fine flour. They covered it with cheese, sweet honey, and fragrant bay leaves. Ancient Roman bakers would make a big placenta and cut it into squares to sell. This is still how people in Romania prepare their plăcintă today!
Popular Plăcintă Fillings
There are many different kinds of plăcintă, each with its own special filling. Here are some popular ones:
- plăcintă cu mere is filled with sweet apples.
- plăcintă cu brânză has a filling of sheep or cow cheese, like telemea.
- plăcintă cu cartofi is filled with mashed potatoes.
- plăcintă cu urdă uses a soft cheese called ricotta, often mixed with dill or raisins.
- plăcintă cu ciocolată is a yummy version filled with chocolate.
- plăcintă aromână is a savory type filled with spinach and white cheese.
- plăcintă dobrogeană is a special plăcintă from the Dobrogea region. It's so unique that it's officially recognized in the European Union!
- plăcintă clătită (which means "rinsed pie") is now just called clătită. This is like a thin Romanian crêpe or pancake. You might find similar pancakes in other parts of Eastern and Central Europe, where they are called palatschinke.
See also
In Spanish: Placenta (dulce) para niños
