Mici, or spicy grilled ground meat rolls made from a mixture of beef and lamb and pork, are one of the nation’s favorite street foods.
Even more so on May 1, a national holiday when people tuck into ‘mici’ (pronounced meetch) served with mustard, French fries and bread and washed down with beer. Seven times more ‘mici’ are eaten on this day than an average day, a survey found.
Last year, Romanians polished off a record 18 million ‘mici’ on May 1, 30% more than the previous year according to Dana Tănase, the director of the Romanian Meat Association.
„We have seen a significant increase in orders (for mici) over the past three years and we anticipate that the trend will continue this year,” Cristina Sauciuc, Head of Brand Tazz told Agerpres this week.
The average price for a portion of three ‘mici’ which are similar to skinless sausages is 25 lei (about 5.5 euros) while the average order which includes side dishes and beer is 86 lei, Tazz said. The most expensive plate of ‘mici’ in Romania on May 1 was 188 lei for a plate of 20.
Romanian begin tucking into ‘mici’ early in the day, consuming 24% of the day’s total orders between 9am and 11am. Half the day’s ‘mici’ are wolfed down between midday and 3 pm. By dinner time, the appetite for ‘mici’ is wearing off and just 20% of the day’s orders are made between 4pm and 7pm.
Although May 1st is the golden day for ‘mici’, it’s an all-year round favorite for Romanians who eat an average of 350 a year per head.
The trend is also supported by the study „Romanians’ cravings” developed by Tazz and Cult Research which identified ‘mici’ as the biggest craving of Romanians on May 1 with 47% of respondents saying they associate the International Labor Day with the meaty treat.
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