In June-July two spices fairs were organized in Brasov, the first at the Weavers? Bastion, next to Olimpia tennis club and the second at the Fortress in Rasnov. The purpose of these fairs was to reenact ?The Road of Spices? as Brasov was once known. Practically, Brasov was one of the access gates for spices to Europe, on Smirna-Istanbul-Braila route. The road of spices has influenced the population of that time, being then consumed by Hungarians and then by Romanians.
The Weavers? Bastion spices
Companies specialised in spices participated in the exhibition and the Spices Fair from the Weavers? Bastion from Brasov brought products for sale. The people from Brasov crowded in the Bastion to buy ingredients, spices and to find out dessert recipes dating from the European Middle Age period, but also to watch the ?Medieval Reenactment? including special competitions and knights recruitment (the Crown?s Guards). On this occasion traditional Greek dances and Hellenic music shows, presentation of spices and tasting of traditional food products and an old Wallachian and Hungarian music concert and madrigals were also organised.
The Spices Fair from the Fortress in Rasnov
The Spices Fair from the Fortress in Rasnov was an attraction for many tourists who enjoyed tasting food products with spices: nigella, sumac, cardamom coffee, star anise coffee, zahtar with Lebanese flat loaf of bread; spice bread, ginger beer, rhubarb jam with apples, saffron and ginger, apple compote with wine and spices. Original competitions and knight recruitment took place here as well, and the biggest attraction of the event was the medieval theatre play ?Finding a Guard? performed by the Crown?s Guards.
A small-scale mill
After the presentation of the fruits from the Middle East, Prof. Ph. D. Alexandru Stanescu exhibited a small-scale mill which can provide the necessary bread for one day to a family. Ecological wheat was used instead of flour. The disadvantage of the industrial mills is that they eliminate the wheat germ which is essential and contains vitamin B, while this tiny mill preserves all these properties. Tourists had the opportunity to taste this home-made bread from ecological wheat flour: caraway and flax seed bread and caraway and sesame seed bread.
