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A blend of Arabica beans from Ethiopia and Brazil. This type of coffee was enjoyed in Chișinău and Odesa at the beginning of the 19th century. It is prepared in a cezve and served with a glass of water and Pushkin’s favourite coffee treat — pastila.

A coffee that became popular among the Romanian bohemian circles, including those of Chișinău, after the First World War. It is prepared in a cezve with rum, which partially replaces the water. The earliest known recipe dates back to 1908. The name is associated with Romanian Prime Minister Alexandru Marghiloman. Served with a glass of water.

A recipe from post-war Romania. During periods of coffee shortages, chickpeas were used as a substitute: they were roasted, ground and mixed with natural coffee. Chickpeas contain no caffeine, making this blend less stimulating.

Prepared in a cezve with green Wallachian walnut balm (or walnut balm) added to the finished coffee. It is topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with grated walnut. Served with a glass of water.

Сoffee with a chocolate flavour. During the interwar period, a famous confectionery operated in the Diocesan House as a branch of the Bucharest-based “Zamfirescu” chocolate factory. The coffee is prepared in a cezve and served with a glass of water and a traditional ladyfinger biscuit, just as it was 100 years ago.

A recipe from Sanda Marin’s famous cookbook The Art of Cooking and Romanian Cuisine, published in January 1936. It combines coffee, cocoa and vanilla sugar, topped with a layer of cold whipped cream. Served with a glass of water.

The same “Pushkin Coffee” with the addition of Bessarabian Jewish herbal balm, prepared according to an 1884 recipe by Leib Hershkovich, a Chișinău pharmacist. Served with a glass of water and a small glass of balm

“Pushkin Coffee” with an addition of vișinată, a traditional sour-cherry liqueur. A fashionable Chișinău recipe during the interwar period. Served with a glass of water and a small glass of vișinată.

The favourite drink of the great Romanian playwright I.L. Caragiale, who mentioned it in his play A Stormy Night (O noapte furtunoasă). It was also popular among the bohemian circles of the interwar period. Prepared in a French press and served with sugar cubes and a glass of water.

Сoffee served with fruit preserve, enjoyed separately as a traditional accompaniment. This custom was brought to Moldova by the Crimean Tatars. This was how coffee was served in the house of Boyar Varfolomei in the early 19th century. “Pushkin Coffee” is served with a small bowl of preserve and a glass of water.

Coffee with cardamom — an Eastern aroma with a gentle spice.

Coffee with mastic — a Mediterranean, resinous freshness.

This is a traditional Turkish coffee made from menengiç (terebinth) fruits. Unlike classic coffee, it is not made from coffee beans and is naturally caffeine-free. It has a mild, nutty and slightly sweet flavour with a creamy texture. Traditionally, it is prepared in a cezve, just like Turkish coffee.

Ottoman coffee — thick, aromatic, according to traditional recipe.

A vegan drink associated with Chișinău at the beginning of the 19th century. It is made from almond milk, sugar and orange blossom water, produced from the flowers of bitter orange trees. According to the memoirs of Gorchakov, a Chișinău acquaintance of A.S. Pushkin, it was “an indispensable drink at all the evenings and balls” of that time in Chișinău.

A traditional Romanian sweet and refreshing drink made from elderflower (Sambucus nigra). It is produced by naturally fermenting elderflowers in a mixture of water, lemon and sugar.

Teapot for two

A traditional dessert whose historical roots are connected to monastic cuisine. Early references to recipes resembling Baba Neagră appear in Boyar Cookbook (Carte de bucate boierești), published in Iași in 1841 by Mihail Kogălniceanu and Costache Negruzzi. The book describes several variations known as Babe fără lapte and Babe opărite. “Baba Neagră” has been proposed for inclusion on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.