Romanian is spoken in Romania, but in Cluj there is also a large Hungarian population (over 20% of the city speaks Hungarian), because Transylvania was conquered by the Kingdom of Hungary in the 9th century and has remained a common place for modern Hungarians to immigrate.
For everyday purchases, lei is used (1 leu = $0.23 USD) and the society is very cash-based. For example, I went to a local market and only cash was accepted everywhere. For larger purchases (rent, cars and international purchases) Romanians use the euro, which is used in many countries across Europe.
A bottle of water costs approximately five to eight lei ($1.16 - $1.86).
The best meal I had this week was certainly the chicken schnitzel and cabbage salad from Bulgakov restaurant in Cluj, which is named for the author Mikhail Bulgakov. That's where I also had my favorite Romanian dessert, called papanaşi (pronounced "papa-nash"), which is a donut made with cottage cheese and topped with blueberry jam and sour cream. Sour cream may sound off-putting as a dessert topping, but with the sugary donut it is delicious!
