Tochitură

What it is

Tochitură is a hearty meat dish: pieces of pork, smoked sausages, bacon, sometimes liver and kidneys, fried in their own fat in a pan or cauldron. The name is associated with the verb 'a topi' — to melt: the meat should release fat.

On the plate, there is always mamaliga, topped with a fried egg, and on the mamaliga, grated brânză de burduf or telemea is added. This is accompanied by pickled vegetables and mujdei, a garlic sauce.

In different regions, tochitură varies. Moldovan — with pork, smoked sausages, and lard; Măcinău, shepherd's — also with liver; Oltenian — in a tomato sauce with wine and hot pepper. This dish is typical of all Romania, and in the mountains, it is a classic winter menu item after pig slaughter.

History and name

Tochitură was prepared in winter when the pig was slaughtered: fresh meat, offal, and freshly smoked sausages were available in the house at the same time.

Ingredients and allergens

Pork600 gMeat for bograch, holubtsi, and homemade sausages.

Smoked homemade sausage200 gPork sausage with paprika (in Transcarpathia — piknytsia); it is added to lecho and bean soups.

Smoked bacon100 gSmoked brisket is cut into cubes and rendered — it is poured over dumplings, pies, and mamaliga.

GarlicA seasoning for bograch, kiselytsia, sausages, and trout.

LardRendered pork fat for frying deruny and hurka.

Corn flourmamaliga, to serveFinely ground corn, used to make kulesha (mămăligă) and bake malai.

Eggsfried egg, to serveChicken eggs — for the dough of hombovtsi, palačint, pasky, and deruny.Contains allergens: eggs

Brânză de burdufor telemea, to serveSalted crushed sheep's cheese, matured in a bag or fir bark; sharp and aromatic.Contains allergens: milk

Pork liver and lungsliver, optionalOffal from fresh meat, used to make homemade hurka.

Also: onion (optional), salt, black pepper

Contains allergens: milk, eggs
Diet: gluten-free by ingredients; traces possible

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

• Pork — 600 g
• Smoked homemade sausage — 200 g
• Smoked bacon — 100 g
• Pork liver and lungs — liver
• Garlic
• Onion
• Lard
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Corn flour — mamaliga
• Eggs — fried egg
• Brânză de burduf — or telemea

1. Cut the pork into pieces the size of a walnut, the sausages into slices, and the bacon into strips.
2. In a cauldron or deep pan, melt the lard. Fry the bacon, add the pork, and fry over high heat until browned.
3. Add the sausages (and liver, if using), reduce the heat, pour in a few tablespoons of water, and simmer for 20–30 minutes, until tender.
4. At the end, season with salt, pepper, and stir in crushed garlic.
5. Separately, cook thick mamaliga and fry the eggs.

How it is served

Hot: meat, alongside mamaliga with grated sheep cheese and an egg on top, pickled cucumbers, and garlic sauce.

Variants

Oltenian tochitură is stewed in tomato sauce with white wine; peasant-style is prepared with mushrooms.

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, with local versions in Moldova, Oltenia, and Transylvania. On the map — the mountainous counties of Bukovina and Moldova, from where the most famous version originates.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Winter pig slaughter · Everyday food

FAQ