Moldova With love by the Moldovan Team
The Flag
Population: ~ 4 million people Moldovans - 75,81% Ukrainian - 8.4% Russians - 6% Gagauz – 4,46% Bulgarians – 1,94%
Language: Romanian ď Ž
The main population is Moldovans however Moldova is a multiethnic country where Moldovans, Russians, Ukrainian, Gagauz, Bulgarian cultures coexist together making up one of the most unique and exquisite nations in Europe.
Modova is mostly an agricultural country ď Ž
Farming is the main occupation especially in the villages.
ď Ž
In the villages you can still see carriages with horses, that are used on the small farms.
SUNFLOWER, CORN and WHEAT are a common sight on the Moldovan fields
Cow and sheep breeding
Moldova is the country of Orchards
and Vineyards
A horn of plenty
Moldova has been called a horn of plenty because of the fertile soils and the abundance of fruit and vegetables that are collected in autumn. Moldovan farmers don’t use herbicides
Autumn is harvest time
And fun time – with a celebration of a rich harvest called “Golden Autumn”
With an “Autumn Fairy” contest. We had an Autumn King – Valentin Zelenco
1st of September – Day of Knowledge and official start of school throughout the country
ď Ž
Moldovan wines are well known throughout the world for their delicate taste, aroma and refinement.
Wine Festival (1-2 October)
Old wines that are stored in wine cellars and in the chateaus, had become a distinctive feature of Moldova.
Millestii Mici the longest wine cellar, with the largest wine collection in Europe has been registered in the Guiness Book
Underground cellars "Milestii Mici" Length of more than 200 km The "Golden Collection" includes about 2 million bottles of wine. It is a true underground wine city with its infrastructure, roads (more than 120 km of underground streets!), traffic signs, lights, wine rivers flowing through special tubes, on the banks of which, instead of houses are huge barrels.
ď Ž
The second largest underground city cellar in the world is "Cricova".
Cricova Winery
Cricova collection consists of over one million of bottles of old vintage wines.
City Day Hramul Orasului
ď Ž
Each city/village has a special day when they celebrate the City/Village Day called Hram. Chisinau celebrates it on the 14th of October
Wells ď ŽThere are many wells and crosses along the Moldovan roads
This cross is in the Orheiul Vechi touristic Complex It is a cross on which you make a wish and supposedly it makes the wish come true.
There are not many forests in Moldova The biggest National Forest Reservation in Moldova is CODRII
A distinct part of the Moldovan landscape are the villages. There are a few cities in Moldova. The country is mostly interspersed with villages (rural and very traditional settlements).
ď Ž
Monasteries and churches are another indispensable element of the Moldovan landscape. There are many monasteries and churches in Moldova
Some of the monasteries are old and have been carved in the stone by our ancestors they have been used to find refuge when the country was invaded by the enemy
Orheiul Vechi, Manastire rupestra
Tipova Monastery
ď Ž ď Ž
The Fortress of Soroca, built in 1499, situated on the river Nistru, in the city of Soroca.
ď Ž
Soroca is a very curious city, it hosts the greatest community of gypsies in Moldova. The hill on which they live – the GYPSY HILL is a famous touristic attraction as here you can find The White House (a replica of the one in Washington DC), the Bolshoy Theatre (a replica of the one in Moskow) and other majestic buildings.
The White House
Bolshoy Theatre
Traditional Moldovan houses are very simple ď Ž
They are made of clay, covered with cattail plant and are whitewashed
The interior is very simple as well. There is a stove that heats the house, a bed and a round table. Nowadays very few houses look like that. But in the villages there are still a lot of old houses that look like this. And people still use the stoves to heat their houses.
Moldovan Holiday Table ď Ž
There is usually a wide range of dishes on the holiday table and of course a jug of homemade wine
A traditional Moldovan lunch noodle soup – ZEAMA (see below)
or vegetable soup – CIORBA (see above) Both soups are served with sour cream and depending on the preference with chilly pepper
A traditional Moldovan Dinner
Roast meat (FRIPTURA) served with a kind of corn mush (that is cut with a thread in slices) sheep cheese and sour cream. There is also garlic juice, that is sprinkled on the corn mush. All is served with good red wine.
Another favourite Moldovan dish is SARMALE (vine or cabbage rolls) They are vine leaf Rolls (or cabbage rolls that are filled with rice, meat, shredded carrots, onions. They are served hot with sour cream.
A favourite Moldovan desert is a cake (pastry) with sour cream called SMANTANEL (sour cream in Romanian is smantana) As you can see Moldovans use a lot of sour cream in their cuisine.
Traditional outfit
Famous People Eugen Doga, composer He is considered a genius and one of the most romantic composers; he is also included on the list of the twenty best and most frequently performed composers of the twentieth century
Zdob si Zdub Zdob și Zdub is a Moldovan band, based in Chișinău, whose work combines elements of hip-hop, hardcore punk, and comical lyrics, with traditional Romanian folk music. The name is onomatopoeic for the sound of a drum beat
Carla’s Dream ď Ž
Carla's Dreams is a Moldovan musical project which started in 2012. The band is an anonymous group of singers and composers who sing in Romanian, English, and also in Russian recently
Overall, even if Moldova is a small country and it doesn’t abound in breath-taking sights, it sure is a nice country to visit if you like to eat well and you would like to see different traditions. This is what Moldova is all about – traditions, food and people. That makes Moldova and AMAZING country.
Come visit Moldova!