The Perfect Soup

Eastern Europe is soup country.  When the days are crisp and cool, I can't imagine a more perfect lunch than a hot bowl of delicious, homemade soup with fresh, crusty bread.  Here's my soup of choice for the last month or so: Ciorba de Perisoare (Meatball Soup), served at a little locals-only spot called Fairplay Restaurant in the Grigorescu neighborhood of Cluj.

As I understand it, this soup varies a lot from region to region within Romania; ingredients differ, the consistency of the broth varies, and in some parts of the country, the soup has a reddish color.  In the Transylvania region where Cluj is located, Ciorba de Perisoara consists of a creamy, sour broth, seasonal vegetables like cauliflower, peppers, onions, parsnips and carrots, soft beef & pork meatballs, and it's almost always garnished with lots of fresh, chopped parsley.  Locals typically order the soup with an accompaniment of sour cream and hot peppers.  They stir several spoonfuls of the sour cream into the soup at the table and then dig in, alternating bites of soup with tiny bites of the long, thin whole hot pepper that they hold by the stem.

The best soup I've ever had was in Hungary, but Romanian soup is a very close second.  Other varieties that I frequently order here are: Ciorba de Pui a la Grec (another regional favorite of the sour-broth variety, rough translation: Greek-style Chicken Soup), Ham & Bean, Beef Vegetable, or the international favorite, Chicken Noodle.  I've been told by multiple sources that Fairplay Restaurant serves some of the area's best Ciorba de Burta (tripe, or stomach, soup), but (oh, this is gonna be bad...) I just can't stomach it.  Although it's a regional specialty, I'm just not a fan of the vague "organs" aftertaste of the broth or the chewy texture of the thin strips of beef or veal stomach.  The rest of you can go for it, but I'm perfectly content sticking with one of the other delicious options.

Nine times out of ten, the option I choose is Ciorba de Perisoare.  And want to know another reason why I love soup in Romania?  How much do you think it costs for a great big bowl of this delicious soup, made fresh daily, served with no less than seven meatballs per bowl, plus all of the trimmings and a basket of fresh, crusty bread?  Any guesses?  Exactly 10,5 Lei  = $3.25.  The perfect soup for the perfect lunch; thanks, Romania.