80% of Romanian housewives make their own pickles at home

According to a study by Gfk Romania, the economic crisis did not bring any major changes in terms of what Romanians store in their pantry for the winter.

As a general trend, people in rural areas are more likely to make their own canned food for the winter than those in the urban areas. Whereas urban inhabitants favor frozen vegetables and fruit, residents of rural areas usually make pickles, jam and compote.

Romanian housewives favor pickles (over 80%), whereas about two thirds make jams, and vegetables stored in jars. Only half of those who participated in the study make compote and frozen vegetables for the winter, whereas frozen fruit are not very popular.

Two thirds of housewives said that they stored or intend to store less fruit and vegetables than last year, mostly due to financial reasons. Just 1 out of 10 housewives said would can more food this year, in particular because they prefer traditional preservation methods.

In terms of age, people that used the traditional methods of preserving food in 2008 as well as in 2009, are those aged 50 to 59, whereas most young persons - aged 20 to 29 - said that they do not preserve food. However, most of the people aged over 60 will can less food than last year, first and foremost due to costs as well as for health reasons.

The number of family members also influences the types of vegetables and fruit prepared for the winter in the household. Larger families tend to make pickles and jam, while single persons use frozen vegetables more often. Households with one or more children tend to make more compote. Single persons do not usually make pickles, jam or compote, while divorcees or people living in separation usually preserve vegetables and frozen fruit.

In terms of education and income, individuals with university or post-university studies don"t usually make canned foods, nor do people with higher income. It is usually individuals that make more than 1500 lei a month and work full time that make canned foods. People with lower education, with a low personal income, which are unemployed or retired will make less canned foods than in 2008, mostly for financial reasons, as well as to preserve their health.

Residents of Bucharest can less foods and vegetables, unlike people in the Oltenia region that favor jam and compote, or residents in the Banat region that opt first and foremost for frozen foods. Storing foods in jars is most frequently used in the area of Moldova.