Festivals organized by churches, mosques, and temples often feature food prepared by members of their congregations. Many wonderful dishes rarely surface except at such events; they don't appear on local restaurant menus because the recipes are too labor-intensive or too poorly codified, or because ingredients are too hard to source.
Even at festivals in public settings, such as city streets, it's good practice to seek out food stalls affiliated with houses of worship. The sărmăluțe (Sar-mah-Loo-tay) above were prepared by the ladies of St. Dumitru Orthodox Church, on the Upper West Side. At a glance they seemed fresher than the stuffed cabbage rolls at neighboring stalls; the pork-and-rice filling was loosely knit and nicely seasoned, notably with onion and thyme. The jaunty savarinas below were unique to the table of St. Andrew Orthodox Church of Jamaica, Queens; these Romanian rum babas sold out posthaste.
Also shown below: the makings of kürtös kalács (Coor-tozh Cah-latch), for which a strip of sweet dough is wound around a spindle, baked, then further sweetened by being rolled in the likes of cinnamon, sugar, and crushed walnut. The result is a hollow cylinder meant to be broken off, bite by bite, with the fingers (mine were too busy to take a final photo). A decade ago, this anonymous festival stall was a curiosity, and perhaps an inspiration. Nowadays, branded "chimney cakes" are not uncommon at New York's outdoor markets.
Romania Day
Broadway near Bowling Green, Manhattan
www.RomaniaBroadway.com
(The 2019 festival was held on May 18)
