In the days before Easter,every Christian must purify his soul, spirit and body. He does it to celebrate Resurrection.
A special part in the Romanian Eastern traditions has toaca*. It is called "a song of the wood" or "a prayer to God" marking the transition from the daily time to the liturgical one.
In "Tinutul Motilor",somewhere in Alba County/Romania,in the night of Easter, toaca is stolen from the church, takes it to the cemetery and guarded by young men.Others try to steal it from them. And, if they didn't keep it well and toaca was stolen, the young men are punished next day to give a feast for both "thieves" and " victims". If those who tried to steal failed,then they'll pay the feast.Funny habit,isn't it ?
Another habit,credits plums with special powers. So special that, these fruits are an important part of the meals during of those days before Eastern. During of six weeks,Christians and not just them (theoretically) must have all their meals made only from vegetables, fruits, seeds, corn or wheat products. No meat or dairy stuff is allowed. Usually it's difficult to keep this habit as long as it must be associated with prayers and a special behavior.
When I was a kid, my grandmother used to use these(dried or smoked)plums in her kitchen.
Chisalita is a kind of stewed plums(with a thicker consistency) that is usually eaten with bread or polenta. It can be a main dish or a dessert. Chisalita is also made from magiun(liptar)**. This jam is diluted with hot water or tea and consumed as it is, with bread or polenta.
The recipe is a very, very simple one:
Dried plums are covered with water and boiled till all become a thicker mixture. You can add to this mix some spices(cinnamon, cloves,pepper or what you like).If you use fresh plums, then you can also add some sugar or honey.
Legend:
*toaca = a piece of wood used as a percussion instrument in the Orthodox liturgy
**magiun(liptar)= a thick plum jam(a sugar free variety)
Enjoy!
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