It is well known throughout the Balkans that the first days of Autumn mark the beginning of the period during which vampires have to find new victims whose blood will keep them alive for the coming year. To protect themselves from being bitten and eventually becoming vampires themselves, thousands of people are now hanging cloves of garlic over every window and door in their homes, others are at the churches having the crosses blessed and yet other are sewing a sprig or two of tarragon onto their clothing.

One of the most primitive but most durable beliefs among simple people is that the dead can return to life, and one of the most exotic manifestations of this belief is the legend of the vampire. When Bram Stoker wrote "Dracula" in 1897 he gave nearly everyone an image of what vampires looked like and how they behaved. Starting with Henrik Galeen's "Nosferatu", the first vampire film made in 1922 and to the current day, a host of actors including Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and Vincent Price, have reinforced that image and, whether in literary or cinematic form, vampires are thin creatures with pale, narrow faces that frequently sprout a pair of prominent canine teeth. Most vampires have long crooked fingernails, rarely stand up straight and wear black cloaks, the shape of which suggests the wings of a bat. None of this is objectionable to the folklorist, the filmmaker or the novelist. What offends gourmets, however, is that according to popular belief, vampires drink but never eat.

That folklore, literature and the cinema are not always well connected to reality is in no way better demonstrated than by studying the dining habits of the most famous vampire of all, the historical Dracula, Vlad the Impaler. In their historical studies of vampires, historians Peter Chotjewitz and Paul Barber inform us that Dracula was considered by his comrades to be a good host, one who enjoyed eating and who always set a fine table. In his book "Dracula: The Legend and the Reality", Clive Leatherdale suggests that Vlad was especially fond of yoghurt, sausages, grilled meats and goat's cheese flavored with pepper.

The most detailed description of Dracula's dining preferences is probably that supplied by Kazimier Moszynski who, in "Slavic Folk Culture" documented a feast Dracula hosted in his castle at Walchia, probably in November of 1476. The guests were Dracula's two women companions and ten of the officers in his army and, after a large bowl of cold yoghurt soup, the diners went on to a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and goat's cheese. This was followed by a variety of salted smoked meats. The main course was said to be the Count's favorite dish, a chicken stew that contained white beans and mushrooms. Among the dessert dishes were preserved plum and flowers that had been cooked in sugar syrup. With the exception of the cooked flowers, it would not be difficult to duplicate this dinner today, as most of these dishes are still considered a traditional part of Romanian cuisine. The yoghurt soup is known as tarator; the salad relies on the cheese we now know as Brynza; the favorite smoked meat of Romania is still pastrama (Americans call it pastrami); and the chicken stew, the recipe for which follows, is called Pui Romanese.

For both culinary pleasure and historical accuracy, it should be noted that there are several contradictions between Bram Stoker's Dracula and the historical Vlad, Prince of the Romanian principality of Walachia. While it is true that the notoriety surrounding Vlad Dracula's method of punishment for his enemies, namely death by impalement, provided Stoker with an attractive pedigree for his hero, there the relationship ends, for Vlad did not practice vampirism. The rumor that Vlad was a vampire first circulated when several German pamphlets were printed in Nuremburg and Augsburg between 1488 and 1530. Even though these pamphlets provided many sensational details, they were given little credence because they had been provided by a group of Saxon merchants of Transylvania who were angry because Vlad had limited their trading privileges in Walachia.

Chicken with Mushrooms and Beans

1 cup dried white beans or dried lima beans
1/4 cup olive oil
3 very small chickens, cut in convenient serving pieces
1/4 cup butter
2 onions, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. celery, chopped
2 Tbsp. celery leaves, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
8 bay leaves
200 gr. small mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
juice of 3 lemons

Place the beans in a large bowl and pour over cold water to cover. Let soak for 8 hours and then drain. If using white beans, after they have been drained transfer them to a large pot, pour over fresh water, simmer on a low flame for 2 hours and drain. Set aside for later use.

In a flameproof casserole dish heat 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil and in this saute the chicken pieces until they are golden. With a slotted spoon remove the pieces and set aside.

To the casserole dish add the remaining oil, butter, onion, parsley, celery, celery leaves, garlic and bay leaves and on these lay the mushrooms and chicken pieces. Cook on a medium flame for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Sea- son to taste with salt and pepper and add the wine. Continue cooking until the wine has evaporated and then pour in just enough of the stock to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce the flame and simmer on a low flame for 15 minutes. Add the beans and continue to cook for 30 minutes longer. Add the lemon juice, remove from the flame, cover the skillet and place in a oven that has been pre- heated to 150 degrees Celsius (300 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes. Serve with the gravy directly from the casserole. (Serves 6 - 8).

© Daniel Rogov