If you’re not big into the horror video game space, you may not know that the new Resident Evil 8 – Village is set in Romania. Heck—I didn’t know until my cousin pointed it out. As is typical with mainstream media, when producers or developers set their stories in Romania, it tends to be of the horror variety. I think we have vampires to thank for that. I’m not complaining, though. I’m a huge fan of horror movies. Horror games, on the other hand, are a little more involved and harder for me to stomach. BUT, hearing that RE8 was set in Romania, I popped on a Let’s Play video and hunkered down for the ride.

Much to my surprise—and pleasure—the beginning of the game features Romanian food, some of it even by name! So if you want to eat like Ethan and Mia do at the start of Resident Evil Village, keep reading for my recipe round-up. I promise there are no spoilers! These dishes are featured within the first 15 minutes or so, and I’ll only be referencing the recipes (with a few screenshots) and nothing related to the plot.

↓ Let’s get to it! ↓

001. Pâine de Țară // 002. Sarmale // 003. Castraveţi Covăsiţi

The first dish we see is plated and on the table. By the way, isn’t that tablecloth to die for? I wish I could get my hands on it! Looking closely at this dish, it’s very obvious these are the famous cabbage rolls called Sarmale, one of my favorite dishes! The only thing that’s missing is a hearty dollop of sour cream, a staple of most Romanian dishes!

Beside that, we have a platter of Pâine de Țară, or Country Bread. It’s either homemade, or baked fresh from a local villager, with a hearty crust that’s perfect for sopping up any leftover sauces.

Across from the bread, on the tiny blue plate, looks to be Castraveţi Covăsiţi, or pickles. Romanian pickles are made different than the typical vinegar pickles you might be more familiar with. In fact, they aren’t made with vinegar at all! A secret slice of bread gives Romanian pickles their distinct vinegar-esque (but not too strong) flavor.

004. Zacusca

So I’m not 100% sure what’s in this dish, but given its proximity to the bread, and that it’s red and served in a bowl, I’m comfortable assuming it’s the roasted red pepper spread, Zacusca. It’s not typically served as a main meal, and it certainly looks more like an appetizer how it’s presented here. It’s a smokey spread filled with vegetables and can often be found as part of a Romanian meal.

{Check out my recipe here!}

005. Ciorbă de Legumes

This is an easy one. It’s the only dish addressed by name: Ciorbă de Legumes, or Sour Vegetable Soup. In Romania, soups are referenced as either Supă or Ciorbă, the first being your standard soups, and the second—as pictured here—is a sour soup, and therefore has some sort of souring agent added to it. For Ciorbă de Legumes, it’s lemon juice!

{Check out my recipe here!}

006. ???

Alright, so this one has me stumped. It’s clearly veggies and some sort of protein (I’d venture to guess pork), but I don’t have a recipe reference I’m comfortable with attributing to this dish. Any ideas? Let me know in the comments below! ↓↓

^{All screen grabs taken from Christopher Odd’s Let’s Play videos on YT. Resident Evil copyright Capcom.}

♥ La Revedere