Another important step towards protecting and promoting the country’s culinary heritage! “Bride’s Pie”, “Ghitman”, “Boiled Meat of Suvai”, “Fish Stew” and “Borscht with Trickled Pastries” have recently won the status of Traditional Specialties Guaranteed (TSG) of the Republic of Moldova, having been successfully registered with the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI). All these traditional products represent the gastronomic and cultural wealth of the Stefan Voda district, being registered by the Public Association “Lower Dniester - Native Land”.

“Bride’s Pie” is a delicious combination of baked dough and stuffing of cottage cheese, eggs, sugar and salt, having a smooth and layered texture. It is traditionally baked in the oven. It can be paired with cream, natural yogurt or fruit yogurt, sour milk, curdled milk or cold non-alcoholic drinks.

“Ghitman” is another traditional specialty guaranteed, made from baked leavened dough and stuffing of potato cubes, pork cracklings, onion and salt. The smell and aroma are pleasant, specific to the combination of baked potato with cracklings and onion. Usually the ghitman is baked in the oven.

“Boiled Meat of Suvai” impresses with its pronounced sweet-sour taste, obtained by the combination of suvai fish from the Dniester and vegetables. It has the appearance of a translucent reddish liquid broth, enriched with fish and boiled vegetables, maintaining the specific flavor of fish and spices.

“Fish Stew” is a dish that combines fish (fish, pike, carp) from the Dniester with vegetables, resulting in a pleasant taste, specific to stewed dishes.

“Borscht with Trickled Pastries” is a traditional choice that offers a pleasant natural taste, conferred by the combination of the taste of a vegetable broth, trickled pastries made of pork and unleavened dough with eggs, pronounced sweet-sour, obtained due to the presence of tomato juice and traditional sour borscht.

By obtaining the TSG certificate, these specialties are not only officially recognized, but are also protected against unauthorized use, thus contributing to preserving the authenticity of Moldovan gastronomy. These five TSGs were identified within the project “Local Development and Cross-Border Cooperation in the Area of Agricultural Products and Traditional Food (LOC FOOD)”, funded with the support of the Joint Operational Programme Black Sea Basin 2014-2020, the implementer of the project being the Association of Tourism Development in Moldova (ATDM).

The registration of TSGs with AGEPI is a success both for local producers and for the entire community of the Republic of Moldova. In the context of an increasingly globalized world, actions to preserve and protect culinary heritage take on an essential meaning in maintaining cultural and national identity.

Traditional specialty guaranteed highlights traditional aspects, such as the way the product is made or its composition, without tying it to a specific geographical area. To be registered, the name must be specific in itself or express the specificity of the agricultural or food product. The TSG does not refer to an origin, but to obtain protection, the product must have a traditional composition (recipe), or a traditional production method. The raw materials or the production method must confer the traditional character of the product in relation to other products.

We remind you that, currently, in the Republic of Moldova, 7 local appellations of origin, 11 local geographical indications and 6 local traditional specialties guaranteed are protected.

The Interactive Map of Traditional Moldovan Products, which contains both protected GIs, AOs and TSGs and those with the potential to be certified, can be accessed here: http://harta-ig.agepi.gov.md.