Alivanca 2.0

“Alivanca 2.0: Inspiration from the Town of Ștefănești”

The town of Ștefănești, an old Jewish market town and an important commercial hub, stands out for its Jewish culture, border crossing point, and significant cultural and natural heritage monuments. Guarding over the old market since the 17th century is the Church of “Sf. Parascheva.”

Here, the old and the new harmoniously blend, deep roots are the source of new shoots and talents. The winding road leading towards the North Sea, as Lake Stânca-Costești is now called, reveals a unique landscape.

We stopped at Aunt Lina’s place, who promised to cook us alivanca, an authentic Moldavian dish that can be sweet or savory, which was quite common on the peasants’ tables.

Once we arrived at Aunt Lina’s, we were greeted by the natural spectacle in the well-kept courtyard, despite her advanced age. In addition to the garden scenery, we enjoyed viewing some pieces from our host’s dowry, which were in perfect chromatic complementarity with the flowers in the nursery.

Our host told us about alivanca and how it had ceased to be a beloved family dish because it was so common, readily available, and easy to make. Aunt Lina said that to make alivanca, you need only a few ingredients: wheat flour, cornmeal, and whatever else you have in the house. She used to eat alivanca with cracklings as an appetizer or a main dish, but most often as a dessert with sweet cheese or sour cream. Today, we know it more as a dessert, but it was originally cooked as a savory recipe.

Because Aunt Lina didn’t feel she had the strength to cook for us, she called for reinforcements; Ramona, who brought with her a new version of the recipe. Ramona, Aunt Lina told us, is a renowned homemaker in town for the sweets she prepares. Aunt Lina’s recipe had been updated and adapted to contemporary tastes.

For our alivanca, we went to the market and bought cheese from the old hall built in 1890, which is also a historic monument. The flour, cornmeal, sour cream, eggs, and spices were already prepared by Ramona, Aunt Lina’s trusty assistant.

The recipe is easy to make when the cooks agree, but in our case, it was a clear example of generational differences. For instance, Aunt Lina didn’t separate the eggs, while Ramona did to beat the egg whites well to make the alivanca fluffy. We enjoyed this dynamic and learned that the kitchen has evolved, and housewives approach the recipe differently depending on the resources they have access to and the final purpose. In the difficult times Aunt Lina lived through, food was for sustenance, but now it’s also a delight. Plus, culinary exchanges and access to recipes inspired by Viennese or Parisian pastry have accelerated greatly.

The cooking process is quite short, probably why it was readily available and often found on tables. Ingredients are added one by one, mixed, and then placed in a preheated oven. It’s left to bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the oven, and then it’s taken out and served to taste: plain, with jam, or with sour cream and jam.

Our favorite is the combination with sweet cheese, sour cream, and jam. It’s one of my precious memories with my grandmother Aglae: the cake taken out of the oven, still warm, served with cold sour cream and sour cherry jam. With a glass of cold lemonade, it’s an excellent dessert, even now at the Sunday family table, where we look at photos and reminisce about childhood memories.