ITof the appearance of the new edition from Tarts, soups, soups and stews, the anthropologist Florin Dumitrescu publishes a review of Mircea Groza's book (GastroArt, 2023).
This summer, the anthropologist Florin Dumitrescu ethnographed the markets and fairs in Sălaj. In a large part of this field research, Mircea Groza helped him as a mediator in the discussions with the locals. This is how the anthropologist appreciates his mentor, the gastronome from Zalău:
"Mircea Groza is a "born, not made" ethnographer, a man with an insatiable curiosity and a real genius for dialogue. Personally, I was privileged to have him as my mediator during the field research I undertook in the markets and fairs of Sălaj. From him I learned how to talk to the local people, how to get them talking, how to empathize with them. They are skills that are formed over time, around a cauldron or a pot... Only I had the intensive course! After decades of caroling the north-west of the country with a tape recorder on his shoulder, Groza has made an extensive mapping (not only gastronomic), depending on the relief, agro-ecological context and ethno-cultural differences. Beyond the smell of steam coming out of the cauldron, the Zămuri reveal a whole patchwork of practices, rituals and norms of the northwestern countryside.
Just like the late Radu Anton Roman in the heyday of ProTV, Mircea Groza today has all the data of a influencer (in the pure sense of the word). I saw people stop him on the street to give him recipes or just to show their admiration.
Once I entered a market with him where he had never been before (perhaps the only one in Sălaj that had escaped him): the Wednesday market in Sărmasag. Well, the market-goers recognized him and drank him each at his stall! And he found something special and authentic in each one, which became the subject of passionate discussion. What prevents Groza from becoming a star, like RAR or, more recently, bingethose who stab each other on TV? Modesty? The rigor? Respect for traditional culture? Of course, all in one place and more.
According to the editor Cosmin Dragomir, "Mircea Groza should be cloned in every county". But only the Hall has it, in a unique copy. And it is another reason why the Hall is so special.»
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