What types of fish do Romanians eat the most?

Romanians bought EUR 46 million (some EUR 210 million) worth of salmon and EUR 34 million (around EUR 157 million) worth of mackerel in 2016, these being the most popular types of fish among Romanian consumers, according to data from Romfood Trading, one of the main importers and distributors of fish and seafood products in Romania. Salmon and mackerel sales increased by 5% in year-on-year in 2016. However, when it comes to fish sales, the data shows that Romanians also like hake and white cod. In terms of volumes, the mackerel comes first in Romania, with 31,500 tons sold last year, according to data from Romfood Trading. “I’m happy to see that the fish market has been growing, slowly but steady, from one year to the next. In addition to the types of fish that are traditionally bought in our country, such as the mackerel, the products that so far were considered to be niche products, intended only for occasional consumption, also started to gain ground. This category includes salmon, which, like seafood, has started to be included in the menus of more and more Romanians,” said Mihai Cristian Darmanescu, Romfood Trading’s general manager. “With the VAT cut, we have seen an increase in the quality of purchased products, which is starting to come before quantity more often.” Romanians also consume more fish during religious holidays. Thus, the sales of fish went up by some 30% in the March-April and November-December periods, namely around Easter and Christmas. The most popular types of fish were salmon, mackerel, hake, and cod, but also fish produced locally, such as carp and trout. Romfood Trading is one of the leading importers and distributors of fish and seafood products in Romania. It sells its products under the Alfredo Seafood brand, which was created by Romanians Mihai Cristian Darmanescu and Daniel Florin Nistor, and launched in 2013. Romanians eat 6 kilos of fish per year, mostly around religious celebrations Smoked fish joins list of Romanian products with EU protection Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com