If the Moldovans were more inventive, Moldova would not lack tourists, considers Moldova’s Ambassador in Tokyo Vasile Bumacov. He estimated that Moldova could attract at least 1 million tourists and these would leave in the country at least US$500 million or 10 billion lei a year. In an interview for IPN, Bumacov said tourism is a very important industry, but they haven’t realized this yet in Moldova. Japan is visited annually by 20 million tourists and the authorities make visible effort to reach the figure of 30 million by 2020.
The Japanese people, when they return from abroad, speak most about the new and special food they tasted and will mandatorily bring relevant presents. Even if the Japanese cuisine is different and very diverse, being even included in the UNESCO World Heritage, the Japanese people are anyway very curious to discover something new. The top Moldovan specialty that impressed the Japanese people and they can eat it even for breakfast is the chicken soup with homemade noodles.
“Even if they do not have homegrown chickens here, the meat sold in shops is anyway good for soup. The stuffed cabbage rolls and most of the dishes prepared by our women on Christmas, Easter, Patron Saint Day and other holidays are also welcomed,” said the diplomat, noting that the Japanese people like to eat pork steak in Moldova because the pork is tastier in our country.
With the hominy the situation is more difficult. “I know that many Moldovans do not like it dry and solid, as they usually make it in our country. The Japanese also do not like it. I told our chefs here several secrets that I applied in 2013, when I cooked in public in the Great National Assembly Square and thus managed to change the Japanese people’s opinion. The ewe’s cheese is good for us because genetically, it remained imprinted in the taste of Moldovans, being inherited from ancient times, when there were no other methods of keeping cheese than salting it until it became hard. As it is rather salty, many foreigners can eat it in only small quantities. But we miss it here,” stated Vasile Bumacov.
In Japan, the Moldovan traditional specialties prepared with pleasure and presented in an appropriate way are appreciated. “But we must only adjust them slightly to the specific features of the local consumers, as the Italian and French people do. The Japanese people are very attentive to the quality of food. They eat not much but eat food of different kinds simultaneously. The Japanese people put all the products to good use, including the healthy plants that are cultivated here or can be found in woods, lakes and sea. For example, the pumpkin is very popular owing to its curative properties,” said the diplomat.
