Indulgences

1. țuică

   Plum brandy

   Usage

   ⚠ Țuică is made from plums (prune) and nothing else — that is exactly what separates it from pălincă, which can be made from any fruit. Typically around 40% ABV, with a legal minimum of 24% at sale. Poured in a small glass before the meal, and hard to refuse politely — say no at the outset if you are driving

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; definite "țuica", plural "țuici". ⚠ The letter is ț with a comma below (U+021B), not the cedilla form U+0163

2. pălincă

   Fruit brandy, double-distilled

   Usage

   DEX marks it regional (Transylvania, Maramureș, Banat) and defines it as a spirit distilled from fruit. Unlike țuică, which is plums only, pălincă is made from apple, pear, cherry, apricot — whatever the orchard gives. It is usually stronger than țuică, so do not drink it at the same pace. Also spelled "palincă"

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; definite "palinca", plural "palinci". Borrowed from Hungarian "pálinka", ultimately from a Slavic root meaning "to burn"

3. horincă

   Maramureș plum brandy

   Usage

   The Maramureș and Oaș name for țuică. Under Romanian ministerial order 368/2008, only spirit made by the traditional method in those two regions may be labelled "horincă" or "turț". Very strong at 50–55% ABV. ⚠ Offered as a welcome drink in northern villages — ask the strength before you accept

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; definite "horinca". "Turț" is another name used in the same region

4. vișinată

   Sour-cherry liqueur

   Usage

   DEX: a drink made from sour cherries (vișine) fermented with sugar and alcohol. A sweet homemade liqueur, put up in summer and brought out in winter, poured in small glasses after a meal. It goes down far more easily than țuică — but the sugar is hiding the alcohol, not replacing it

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; definite "vișinata", plural "vișinate". From "vișină" (sour cherry) plus "-ată", the suffix Romanian uses to name fruit liqueurs

5. afinată

   Bilberry liqueur

   Usage

   DEX: an alcoholic drink made from bilberries (afine). Same "-ată" family as vișinată, and a speciality of the Carpathian highlands where bilberries grow. Bottles are sold at mountain huts and regional souvenir shops

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; definite "afinata". From "afină" (bilberry) plus "-ată"

6. vin fiert

   Mulled wine

   Usage

   Red wine heated to 75–78 °C with sugar or honey and spices — cinnamon (scorțișoară), cloves (cuișoare), lemon peel, ginger, black pepper. It must never boil, which would strip both the aroma and the alcohol. ⚠ A winter drink of Christmas markets (târg de Crăciun) and outdoor events; it is not on summer menus

7. Fetească neagră

   Fetească neagră — native Romanian red grape

   Usage

   An old black grape native to Romania — the variety to name if you want a local red. Ruby-coloured, with forest fruit, sour cherry and prune, and hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Some 2,972 hectares were planted as of 2017; it is also grown in the Republic of Moldova

   Grammar Note

   "Fetească" takes feminine agreement, so the colour word is feminine too ("neagră" = black). The white sister varieties are Fetească albă and Fetească regală

8. Grasă de Cotnari

   Grasă de Cotnari — sweet white wine grape

   Usage

   A white grape from Cotnari in Iași county, north-east Romania. Picked overripe and affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea), it makes a sweet ("liquoros") wine of around 240 g/L residual sugar and over 15% ABV. Grown there since the reign of Stephen the Great in the 15th century. ⚠ Not a dry wine — ordering it with a main course will surprise you

9. Tămâioasă românească

   Tămâioasă românească — aromatic white grape

   Usage

   An old variety making sweet, highly aromatic whites — the nose is linden and acacia blossom, turning towards honeycomb after seven or eight years in bottle. Around 12–12.5% ABV. Grown in the main regions (Cotnari, Huși, Dealu Mare, Drăgășani, Murfatlar) across roughly 1,000 hectares

   Grammar Note

   "Tămâioasă" is a feminine adjective from "tămâie" (incense), meaning heavily perfumed; "românească" (Romanian, feminine) completes the variety name

10. țigări

    Cigarettes

    Usage

    ⚠ Law 15/2016 bans smoking outright in every enclosed public space, enclosed workplace, on public transport and in children's playgrounds in Romania. Restaurants, bars and cafés are covered with no exceptions — there are no indoor smoking rooms. Individuals who smoke where it is prohibited face fines of 100–500 lei. Smoking is confined to outdoor terraces (terasă)

    Grammar Note

    Plural of the feminine "țigară"; definite "țigările". ⚠ The letter is ț with a comma below (U+021B)

11. narghilea

    Hookah, shisha water pipe

    Usage

    DEX: an oriental pipe with a long flexible tube whose end sits in a vessel of perfumed water, so the smoke passes through the water before being inhaled. ⚠ Law 15/2016's indoor ban covers water pipes too, so a legal indoor shisha bar does not exist in Romania — only outdoor terraces

    Grammar Note

    Feminine; definite "narghileaua", plural "narghilele". From Turkish "nargile", ultimately Persian "nargil" (coconut — the original water vessel)

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