Papanași

What it is

Papanași are fried donuts made from cheese dough: fresh cow's cheese, eggs, flour, semolina, and a bit of sugar. The shape is recognizable — a ring with a hole, topped with a small ball of the same dough.

They are served hot, generously drizzled with thick sour cream and jam — cherry or blueberry. The dough is slightly sour, the sour cream is cold, and the jam is tart. A serving usually consists of two large papanași, and it's not easy to eat them all by oneself.

There is also a boiled version: balls of the same dough are boiled in water and rolled in toasted breadcrumbs with sugar. Papanași can be found on the menus of restaurants throughout Romania, and in mountain resorts, they often conclude almost every meal.

History and name

The origin of the name is uncertain. Romanian sources provide two versions: from Saxon words denoting small spicy pastries — in the regions where Transylvanian Germans lived, or from the Latin word papa, meaning 'baby food'.

Ingredients and allergens

Variant: fried

Curd cheese (tvaroh)500 gFresh cheese for hombovtsi and filling for palačint; for dough, use dry, not very fatty cheese.Contains allergens: milk

Eggs2 pcs.Chicken eggs — for the dough of hombovtsi, palačint, pasky, and deruny.Contains allergens: eggs

Wheat flour150–200 gFor the dough of varenyky, palačinky, bobalyok, and pasky.Contains allergens: gluten

Semolina2–3 tbspBinds the cheese dough for hombovtsi.Contains allergens: gluten

Sour creamto serveThick homemade sour cream is the base for banosh and machanka, a common dressing for Carpathian dishes.Contains allergens: milk

Jam (sour cherry or bilberry)to serveSour jam made from cherries or blueberries, which is poured over hot cheese donuts.

Also: lemon (zest and juice) (zest, optional), sugar, baking soda, sunflower oil (for frying)

Contains allergens: gluten, milk, eggs
Diet: vegetarian

Variant: boiled, in breadcrumbs

curd cheese (tvaroh), eggs, semolina, breadcrumbs, butter, sugar

Contains allergens: gluten, milk, eggs
Diet: vegetarian

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is traditionally made

Serves: 4 servings (8 pieces)

• Curd cheese (tvaroh) — 500 g
• Eggs — 2 pcs.
• Wheat flour — 150–200 g
• Semolina — 2–3 tbsp
• Sugar
• Baking soda
• Lemon (zest and juice) — zest
• Sunflower oil — for frying
• Sour cream
• Jam (sour cherry or bilberry)

1. Mash the cheese with a fork together with the eggs, sugar, a pinch of salt, and lemon zest.
2. Add semolina, baking soda, and flour — enough to make the dough soft but moldable with floured hands. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into eight parts. From each, pinch off a piece the size of a walnut for the ball, roll the rest into a ball, flatten it, and make a hole in the center.
4. Heat the oil — a layer of two to three fingers. Fry the rings and balls over moderate heat until dark golden brown on both sides; frying on high heat will leave the dough raw inside.
5. Place on a paper towel.

How it is served

Hot: on the ring — a spoonful of sour cream and jam, topped with the ball, and a bit more jam.

Variants

Boiled papanași are not fried: the balls are boiled in water and rolled in breadcrumbs toasted in oil with sugar.

The traditional method as described by our sources; every family does it its own way. We have not tested this recipe in a professional kitchen.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

All of Romania; we highlight the mountain resort counties where the dessert is almost on every menu. The area is conditional.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food

FAQ