Born in a small Bucovina town, to a Moldavian mother and a Wallachian father, with a grandfather from Dobrogea and a grandmother who refuged to Bucharest from Bessarabia in times of restriction, I grew up in their arms, tasting what they lovingly prepared at home. Growing up in Suceava and then going into the wider world, I got to know other cultures and diverse gastronomies, but the Romanian recipes remained preserved and were often used in my kitchen. The desire to make them known grew when those who visited us became curious. From the notebooks -not necessarily written- of the worthy women of my childhood, I collected the most representative recipes, bundled through their historical regions because I had so many direct influences with real resources and gathered what I think represents us, as Romanians: dishes from seasonal ingredients, inventive tastes, delicious combinations, regional flavours and the specific dishes of each place.

Even though we put in the pots almost the same ingredients as our neighbouring nations, we brought our contribution in each individual recipe, joined diverse ingredients, invented tastes and cooking techniques, used local flavours and fetched our creative input despite all those who deny this. The recipes in the book prove this and those who will try them will be able to taste the true taste of Romanian dishes.