Balmos is a hard working job and not so easy to do, too, if I think that you need butter and cream, corn flour and curd and, besides this, time, cause the rush in doing it is like virginity near man-and especially it's needed to have much vigor (as how many runnings the hands' sheperd will do, you can urge a boiler of a city !).
[...] And if you eat balmos, you have started a heavy road, where is still good and wise, not going alone, but armed with a small bottle of strenghten plum brandy of Siriu or, why not, if you come to a sheepfold from Fagaras or Arges (as in the Iezer or Negoiu sheepholds, balmos is still balmos) a small barrel of Salatruc apple wine, a cider, like its Gallic mother said , so fresh and sprinkle on your tongue that ease, refresh and clean everything.
At Novaci, on the top of Paring, Balmos of Gorj* is made like this:
1 kg cornmeal
500 g fresh cheese
1 l jintita
salt, as much you want
500 g butter
Jintita** , butter and cream (salted ) boiled together in a pot on a low heat, stirring in from time to time. When they boil, add cornmeal, little by little, until mamaliga is done and not so thinner. Grated cheese is added in mamaliga** and stir all until it sighs with steams for several times.
You can eat it with curd and drink a brandy of Rovinari or Runcu; it would be a shame otherwise !
Legend:
*Gorj = (Romanian pronunciation: [ɡorʒ]) is a county of Romania, in Oltenia (southeastern Romania) with its capital city at Târgu Jiu .
**Jintita = is a drink made of sheep milk whey similar to kefir. It is a by-product in the process of making bryndza cheese, this drink being carried by Vlach shepherds instead of water.
*** Mamaliga = (Romanian pronunciation: [məməˈliɡə]) is a porridge made out of yellow maize flour, traditional in Romania and Moldova. It is similar to the Italian polenta.
Balmosul de Gorj
Balmosul e lucru greu si nici prea usor de facut nu e, daca ma gindesc ca trebuie unt si smintina, malai si lapte covasit(prins) si, pe linga asta timp- ca graba linga balmos e ca fetia linga fatalau- si, mai ales trebuie vlaga multa, ca la cite invirtituri vor face miinile baciului, poti opinti o microcentrala de municipiu.
[...] Iar daca mincati balmos, inseamna ca ati pornit la drum tare anevoios, unde e totusi bine si intelept, sa nu pleci singur ci inarmat cu o glaja de tuica vinoasa de prune bistrite, din Siriu, sau, de ce nu, daca ajungem la o stina argeseana sau fagaraseana (ca si la stinile din Iezer sau Negoiu e balmosul balmos) o damingenuta de vin de mere de Salatruc, zis cidru la mama lui galica, proaspat si piscacios la limba , ce usureaza, racoreste si curata.
La Novaci, pe culmile Paringului, asa se face balmosul:
1 kg malai
500 gr cas proaspat
1 l jintita
sare cita vreti
500 gr unt
Jintita, untul si smintina, potrivite de sare, se pun la fiert impreuna, intr-un ceaun, pe foc mic, amestecind din cind in cind.
Casul se da pe razatoare.
Cind au dat laptariile in clocot, se pune si malaiul, putin cite putin, pina se face o mamaliga, asa, mai moale.
Casul ras se rastoarna in mamaliga si se amesteca pina ofteaza cu aburi, de citeva ori.
Se maninca tot cu lapte covasit si se bea c-o tuica de Rovinari sau de Runcu, c-ar fi pacat altfel.
Enjoy !
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