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A dish from Bihor is being analyzed by the European Commission for recognition as a Guaranteed Traditional Specialtytranslated

July 9, 2026 · 1 min read

Pig nail stew, a traditional preparation from Bihor county, is in the analysis stage at the level of the European Commission, with a view to obtaining the status of Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (STG).

According to a post on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the culinary product file is one of the 13 Romanian agri-food products in the verification procedure to obtain a European quality scheme.

Ministry representatives explain that "unlike geographical indications, the STG quality scheme does not refer to a specific geographical area, but highlights a production method, a composition or a recipe that corresponds to a recognized traditional practice".

Traditional preparation method According to the description in the file, the dish is "a warm culinary specialty, deeply rooted in the rural settlements of Bihor County, reflecting the traditional customs of the full utilization of resources in households."

The main ingredient is pig's feet, locally called "nails", associated with smoked chives, yellow onions, lard, garlic, vegetables and spices.…

Source: Агентство Basilica (română) · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (9) 🌐 Show original

Gregory Mitchell

Sounds like a proper old-school dish. My grandma used to make something similar with pig's feet, smoked hock, lots of onions and garlic, slow-cooked until it fell apart. Hope the EU doesn't water down the recipe with their rules.

Bojana Savić

Asta cu "unghii de porc" mi se pare exact cum se face la noi în Banja Luka cu pig's hooves and smoked knee. Barem rețeta nu se cîmbă dăciu iau STG-ul, că altèce iese apă chioară. Sper să relănă cu tărărău și ceapă galbenă cum scrie în dosar.

Mark Wilson

My grandma in the village did the same thing every winter, slow-cooked pig's feet with smoked knuckle and plenty of garlic until the meat slid right off the bone. The EU rules are mostly about keeping the traditional method on paper, so I doubt they'll change how folks actually cook it at home. Did yours use any bay leaves or just the basics?

Margarita Prifti

And the meat legs with smoked ciola and a lot of garlic and yellow onion reminds me of how my mother-in-law used to make them in Durrës, she boiled them slowly until the meat fell off the bone. It's good that the STG protects the traditional recipe without forcing it to change, because if they remove the garlic or the yellow onion, it turns out flavored water. I hope they approve it soon.

Michael Morris

My grandma in the village used to call them "unghii" too and slow-cooked them with smoked ciolan, yellow onions and plenty of garlic just like the dossier says. Hope the EU keeps every bit of that old Bihor recipe intact.

Grace Thomas

My nan used to make something almost identical with pig's feet, smoked knuckle, yellow onions and loads of garlic, slow-cooked till the meat fell off the bone. Good to see the dossier keeps the exact traditional recipe from Bihor. Hope the EU stamps it without changing a thing.

Grace King

My grandma in the village always called them "unghii" too and slow-cooked the pig feet with smoked ciolan, yellow onions, garlic and a bit of lard just like the dossier describes. Good that the STG focuses on the traditional method instead of a specific place. Hope the Commission leaves the recipe exactly as it is.

Bojana Nikolić

Here in Kragujevac, my grandmother called it pork legs and cooked them with smoked knee, garlic and yellow onion just as it says in the file. It's nice that STG keeps the recipe and does not tie it to one village. I hope they don't throw out the fat or the garlic.

Дмитрий Иванов

In Samara, our mother-in-law also cooked pork legs with smoked knuckle, yellow onions and garlic, simmered in cast iron until the meat fell off the bone. Interestingly, in Bihor they call them “ungii”—we just call them “legs.” It’s good that STG protects the recipe, and does not tie it to one village.