Tochitură () is a traditional Romanian and Moldovan dish made from

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

cut into small cubes, (tochitură comes from the verb "a topi" which means "to melt") cooked over low fire in their own fat and juices, usually in a cast-iron pot. It is traditionally served with over-easy eggs and

mămăligă Mămăligă (;) is a polenta-like dish made out of yellow maize flour, traditional in Romania, Moldova, south-west regions of Ukraine and among Poles in Ukraine (''mamałyga''), Hungary (''puliszka''), the Black Sea regions of Georgia (country), ...

.Enache, D. ''Bucătăria unităților gastronomice'', Ed. Sport-Turism, București 1975 The ''tochitură moldovenească'' is the Moldavian version and the ''tochitură ardelenească'' is the Transylvanian version. Tochitură is made in two main varieties: with or without tomato sauce and can be made from beef, lamb or chicken (depends on the area -

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

, Transilvania,

Oltenia Oltenia (), also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions – with the alternative Latin names , , and between 1718 and 1739 – is a historical province and geographical region of Romania in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Da ...

Muntenia Muntenia (, also known in English as Greater Wallachia) is a historical region of Romania, part of Wallachia (also, sometimes considered Wallachia proper, as ''Muntenia'', ''Țara Românească'', and the rarely used ''Valahia'' are synonyms in Ro ...

, Dobrogea). In order to not be confused with a stew, the amount of tomato sauce should be minimal (and usually added at the end) so the meat will cook in its own juices. The version with tomato sauce is the most common and is prepared in most restaurants, but is less "traditional." The one without it has a sauce of pork fat and juices from the parts of the meat. The traditional Romanian dish contains not only meat, but parts of internal organs of the animal, like liver, kidneys, heart, slănină or bacon and smoked sausages fried together. It is served with mămăligă and a salty sheep cheese, either telemea or brânză de burduf.

See also