site.btaRomania’s Largest Chocolate Festival Held in Bucharest
Romania’s largest chocolate festival is taking place at the National Library in Bucharest between March 13 and 15. The ninth edition of the calorie-packed sweet event is titled “Chocolate Saga – The Story That Never Ends”. It is also inspired by the martenitsa tradition associated with the coming of spring, International Women’s Day (March 8) and the upcoming Easter holiday.
Playful signs such as “Leave your diet outside. This is chocolate heaven” and “Life is short. Start with dessert” welcome visitors and lead them to the foyer of the National Library, decorated with cocoa figures.
Pralines dedicated to women, with grapefruit, ginger and white chocolate, ones with beer jelly or intense notes of red wine, and chocolate bonbons with linden blossom dedicated to Romania’s most famous poet, Mihai Eminescu, are just some of the surprises this year.
Chocolatier Catalin Ivanov commented: “Mihai Eminescu is the greatest romantic writer in Romanian literature. He loved linden trees very much. They often appear in his poems. And it occurred to me that we could pay tribute to him in this way as well. Through a special recipe, through a special flavour.”
A unique presence at the festival is the so-called “Chocolate in a Bottle” – sparkling wine made from Chardonnay grapes grown in vineyards near Perpignan, France, and natural cocoa extracts. The product has received several international awards, including the Belgium Broadway Innovation Award – People’s Choice Award (2018) and The Fizz Festival UK – People’s Choice Award (2018).
Jewellery and candles shaped like sweet treats are also on display. “They are not for eating,” Dana Nedelcu says with a smile. She makes brooches from coffee and cocoa beans shaped like ice creams and doughnuts. She began doing this during the pandemic, when she produced more than 100 brooches for charity. Today she teaches the craft to children and adults in a specially organized workshop.
Festival visitors can express their creativity by painting chocolate figurines, modelling sugar paste and decorating chocolate Easter eggs.
The public will meet Marinell Bejan, recognized as Romania’s best chocolatier and one of the world’s top 20 chocolatiers, who has also trained in Bulgaria.
Chocolate lollipops cost RON 15 (EUR 3), boxes of bonbons range between RON 35 and RON 70 (EUR 7–14), and chocolate bars cost RON 30-35 (EUR 6–7).
The festival continues until Sunday evening. The entrance ticket costs RON 25 (EUR 5), while children under 10 and people with disabilities enter free of charge.
“Despite inflation in Romania, the chocolate market continues to grow. Industry estimates show that the total market value exceeds EUR 300 million, while annual consumption amounts to 35,000 tonnes of chocolate. Each Romanian eats 2.36 kilogrammes of chocolate per year,” the organizers told BTA.
They hope to attract Bulgarian participants for future editions of the event. “We would like to make it an international festival and promote chocolate from Eastern Europe,” they said.
/VE/
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