Hundreds of years heritage, organic folk culture and contemporary art in a Transylvanian village, Bikfalva
Submitted by
Várallyay Réka, art historian, university professor
ITINERARY OVERVIEW
Bikfalva, situated in the south-eastern corner of historical Transylvania, at the foot of the Buzău Mountains, deserves special attention not only due to its picturesque location and natural beauty, but also for its characteristic and unique built heritage, the Reformed fortified church built in the 15th century and the small nobility mansions.
These manor houses were made of stone and has attractive porches, situated on spacious estates, which used to be the homes of the former, so-called “lófő”, free Szekler noblemen. These are small-sized dwelling houses with a special atmosphere, a great part of which was built in the 17-18th centuries; they gained their present shape at the beginning of the 19th century.
Besides the mansions and 19th century middle-class buildings, the charm of Bikfalva is provided by the unique combination of the wonderful natural environment, the old trees, spacious orchards and old outbuildings of the large estates, the small paths resulting from the set structure, streams, board fences, cozy dwelling houses, and small cottar houses with shingles. The time has stopped in this village, but because of its attractive setting and beauty it is a perfect place also for organising contemporary art workshops and symposions.
Local Delicacies
Transylvania is famous for its hospitality and its gastronomy. The older aunts still follow the tradition of the "Hungarian garden" where flowers and vegetables are planted together. So the garden is useful and beautiful at the same time. There is harvest festival in every autumn where the village people can show and sell their products, including preserves and jams. Walking among centuries-old mansions in Bikfalva, the tourists can experience the charm of the old world, they can get a taste of local flavours in the four high quality pensions, they can get to know the chimney cake, which is a special cake with hole, baked on coals, the real Székely brandy - called pálinka - and the Székely cabbage casserole, which is the most traditional festive food in this region.
The recipe of cabbage casserole
1 kg sauerkraut (head)
1 kg of sauerkraut (chopped)
250 g minced beef
250 g minced pork
1 cup of rice
1 medium red onion
3 cloves of garlic (optional)
1 egg
2 tablespoons paprika
4 tbsp pork fat
2 tbsp fine flour (optional for thickening)
4 dl sour cream
1 l sauerkraut juice
50 dkg smoked sides (optional)
15 dkg Transylvanian bacon (optional)
5 sprigs of thyme
5 sprigs of dill
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1. Pick the leaves of the cabbage
2. For the filling, mix minced pork and beef with eggs, 1 head of chopped red onion, 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 tbls of red pepper, salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Shape the meat mixture into balls of your choice and size, then roll them in the cabbage leaves.
4. For cooking, we will need a larger earthenware, glazed or iron pot: grease the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle a row of chopped sauerkraut on the bottom then place a row of rolled stuffed cabbage on top.
5. Pour over the sauerkraut diluted with water
6. Cook 3-4hours
Local Customs, Traditions, and Must-See Events
Under the coordination of the Transylvanian Art and Heritage Association from Bikfalva a village image protection programme has been launched in the village; besides, the settlement is involved in an international nature art movement, hosting several international contemporary art camps.
The spirit of the place attracts tourists longing for authentic regions and relaxation; they visit with great interest the permanent exhibition of local history and ethnographic collection in the Bikfalva Cultural Center, the smithery, the workshops and the exhibition of Transylvanian historical stove tile manufacture, also the folk children’s toy and musical instrument manufacture. In the past early music festival was annually organized by the Bikkmakk Cultural Association in the church and also in the gardens of the manor houses, recently the Transylvanian Art and Heritage Association organizes cultural events with presentations and themed routes, symposions for art university students who could enjoy the fantastic natural environment of the village through nature art. Every closing ceremony of these contemporary art camps are open for the public with exhibitions, performances and open air jazz concerts.
Because of the many old walnut trees, we have a new initiative, a family program, called "Old Wallnut Trees Day" where people from the village and also from the region can visit the greatest wallnut trees of Bikfalva, get know hot to maintain these old plants, and enjoy the best cakes made with wallnut.
Places
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