Lavinia Schuster has always had a passion for cheese. The landlady serves thin slices of cheese on generous platters, rolled with dried herbs such as oregano, paprika, horseradish or basil, along with homemade jam. The different types of quark or cream cheese, raw milk cheese, cottage cheese with various herbs, fruits or berries are homemade, where necessary matured in the cellar of the house. A special feature of the household is the Meschen fenugreek mousse. From the initial small-scale production for personal use, professional cheese production has developed over time. "At first it didn't work out as expected, and when I made the first cheese I cried with joy," Schuster recalls.
Schuster runs a traditional Saxon farm in Moşna/Meschen, Romania.
The Saxon village, which has existed since the 13th century, is located in Transylvania, also known as Transylvania.
The region in the center of Romania, bordered by the Carpathian mountain range, attracts travelers from all over the world with its architecture, people and landscape, but also with the variety of exquisite dishes.
Romanian, Saxon and Hungarian influences are concentrated here, and Transylvania is characterized by the authentic country life that has always been preserved.
Places like Criţ/Deutsch-Kreuz, Viscri/Deutsch-Weisskirch or Moşna/Meschen bear witness to the impressive history, as evidenced by the fortified churches that have survived to this day.
The culinary tradition is also cultivated here.
As a starter or dessert, there is Hanklich, in yeast cakes with a butter or cream icing.
apple soup, with croutons, various seeds or fresh celery leaves;
the beef or pork soup Brodelawend, with potatoes, cured onions and bay leaves, served with green parsley and sour cream;
the potato noodles, as a side dish for steak;
or the delicate butter biscuits called Nonnenbusserl, filled with walnut meringue are other examples of typical Transylvanian-Saxon dishes.
Inspiration came from Switzerland
The Transylvanian Saxons, who originated from a Germanic tribe and settled in this region of Romania in the 13th century, have left the country in recent decades. Although few, those who remain strive to preserve and carry on cultural traditions.
Lavinia Schuster and her husband Willy immigrated to Germany from Romania in the 1990s, like many other Transylvanian Saxons after reunification. However, they were also impressed by a neighboring country, and they raved about the Swiss eco-scene. Willy Schuster spent at least three months a year in Switzerland working as a translator for the Romanian farmers who came to Swiss organic farms for training. In 1997 his wife also applied to a mountain farming school as a translator and thus got to know organic farming. At the school, the wives of future Romanian farmers were taught how to use the resources of an eco-household in the most efficient way. “The experiences at the mountain farm school have had a positive impact on my life as a farmer.I also learned how to make cheese while translating,” says Lavinia Schuster.