B o t i

(versiunea in limba romana...ceva mai jos)

Boti [botzi] are some peasant dumplings made from cottage cheese (called scoaca *), especially in Apuseni Mountains(the Western part of Romania), in the hamlets of moti **, beyond "the geographical  ridge" or  "the military crest", as it is called, that means what's  beyond what is seen from the valley.

With this military crest is a whole story. Who believes that, the Greater Union was due only Romanian Assembly of Alba Iulia on December 1918 and the Greek-Catholic intellectuals ...just has a patriotic-idyllic vision over and of the history.

Victorious powers, had decided, quite correctly, to share the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire remains on the majority population criteria.

Census took place, they were made maps of all nationalities from the imperial provinces, it was preparing the establishment of new countries and borders.

Hungary sent to Paris, where negotiations were taking place, maps of Transylvania, in which mountains areas, plateaus inhabited only by the Romanians from Maramures, Oas, Hateg, Lapus, Apuseni, Nasaud, etc.. appeared as to be blank, being beyond the military crest, 'what is seen  from the accessible valleys '.

In a first variant, the Hungarian population, crowded in cities and villages of the plain, seemed to be a majority in Transylvania, with consequences that would follow from here.

It's the credit of some French geographers missions , of being stepped on all the Transylvanian paths and be counted and announced the existence of numerous Romanian communities there where,  Hungarian maps had marked places with white spots and so....contributed in taken the final decision of the political powers  from Trianon.

I had the great joy to known in 1993  Mr. Robert Ficheux (still alive in the fall of  '98 he celebrates exactly 100 years), one of those who have stepped with his own foot the Apuseni Mountains, immediately after the war (I and the operator Radu Grozea took and  recorded an interview with Mr. Ficheux , which film, for obscure and awkward reasons, TVR^* not released it.)

It's a golden-age gentleman, frail, very nice, perfectly still speaking in  Romanian with a French-motzogan *** funny accent, which made us (all we, Romanian and French were at that dinner) laugh out loud .

He told us how he aet 'boti'**** and drunk vinars*****, as motii want to marry him their daughters - 'motzotzolles ", as he slept in a manger, watched by the gentle breath of cows.

That man had done and had given history and geography to Romania .

Directions:

1 kg of cottage cheese 

1 cup of corn flour 

5-7 eggs 

salt, as musch you like 

1 tbs of lard

Cornmeal is fried in lard till changes its apparence.

Beat well the eggs and then, rub'em thoroughly with the cheese.

It's adding then to 'the dough ', half of the cornmeal, one tablespoon of lard and some salt.

After you have mixed well all of these, make small balls (boti), boil them in salted boiling water. When they are strengthened, wallow 'em through the remaining cornmeal and bring them to the table.
(From Radu Anton Roman readings)

A usefull idea: you must add an extra amount of cornmeal to these 'dough' or, just pour over all of 'botzi' some wheat flour and just then, boil them.


Legend:

*scoaca = cottage cheese made in the Western part of Romania (Bihor area)

**moti = residents of Motzi Land (Stone Country)

 Stone Land, known as the Stone Country is an ethnogeographical region of Romania  located in the Apuseni Mountains, on the upper basin of the rivers: the White Cris and Aries. It includes portions of the present counties as Alba, Arad, Bihor, Cluj and Hunedoara. A portion of this region is part of the Apuseni Natural Park..

***motzogan = a kind of language style of the moti

****boti = Romanian pronouncion [botzi']

*****vinars = a kind of plum or cherry brandy, always distilled twice, having a strength somewhere around 60-70 degrees

^* TVR = Romanian National Televison

Boti 

Romanian version:


Botii sunt niste galuste taranesti din brinza de vaci(scoaca), care se fac in Apuseni, in catunele motilor de dincolo de 'creasta geografica' sau 'creasta militara', cum i se mai spune, adica dincolo de ceea ce se vede din vale.

Cu creasta asta militara e o intreaga poveste. Cine crede ca Marea Unire s-a datorat numai Adunarii Romanesti de la Alba-Iulia din decembrie 1918 si intelectualitatii greco-catolice, are o viziune patriotic-idilica asupra istoriei.

Marile puteri victorioase, hotarisera, destul de corect, sa imparta infrintul si destramatul Imperiu Austro-Ungar, dupa criteriile populatiilor majoritare. Aveau loc recensaminte, se facusera harti ale tuturor provinciilor imperiale dupa nationalitati, se pregateau infiintarea de noi tari si frontiere.

Ungaria inaintase Parisului, unde aveau loc negocierile, harti ale Transilvaniei, in care, zona montana, platourile locuite numai de romani din Maramures, Oas, Hateg, Lapus, Apuseni, Nasaud, etc. apareau ca pustii, fiind dincolo de creasta militara, 'de ce se vedea din vaile accesibile'.

Intr-o prima varianta, populatia maghiara, aglomerata in orase si in satele de cimpie, aparea ca majoritara in Ardeal, cu consecintele ce ar fi urmat de aici. E meritul unor misiuni de geografi francezi, de-a fi urcat pe toate cararile Transilvane si de-a fi inventariat si anuntat existenta unor numeroase comunitati romane, acolo unde hartile maghiare marcasera pete albe, lucru ce a contribuit determinant la decizia marilor puteri de la Trianon.

Am avut bucuria de a-l fi cunoscut in 1993 pe domnul Robert Ficheux(traieste inca, in toamna lui '98 a implinit exact 100 de ani), unul din cei ce au calcat cu piciorul Muntii Apuseni, imediat dupa razboi (i-am luat si-un interviu filmat impreuna cu Radu Grozea, pe care, din motive obscure si penibile, TVR nu l-a difuzat.)

E un domn in virsta de aur, firav, foarte simpatic, vorbeste inca perfect romaneste, cu un hazliu accent franco-motogan, care ne-a facut sa ridem in hohote, pe toti citi eram la acel dineu, romani si francezi. Ne-a povestit cum minca 'boti' si bea vinars, cum vreau motii sa-l insoare cu fiicele lor "motzotzolles", cum dormea in iesle, privegheat de rasuflarile blinde ale vacilor.

Omul acela facuse si daruise istorie si geografie Romaniei.

Preparare:

1 kg brinza de vaci

5-7 oua

1 ceasca de malai

sare, cita va place

1 l-ra de untura

Malaiul se pune la prajit in untura pina se schimba la fata.

Ouale se bat bine apoi se freaca temeinic cu brinza.

Se mai adauga la 'aluat', jumatate din malai, o lingura de untura si ceva sare.

Dupa ce s-au amestecat crema toate, se fac 'boturi' rotunde si mici, care se pun la fiert, in apa clocotita cu sare.

Cind s-au intarit, se tavalesc prin malaiul ramas si se dau la masa.

(De la Radu Anton Roman citire).

O idee utila: in timpul procesului de fabricare a botilor, trebuie adaugat un extra plus de malai, sau, tavaliti-i prin faina de griu si abia apoi dati-i la fiert.

Enjoy!