Romanians are known for their soups; some of the popular variants are ciorba de perisoare (meatball soup) and ciorba taraneasca (vegetable soup, with or without meat). Other well-known dishes are tocanita (meat stew seasoned with onions and spices), ghiveci (over 20 vegetables cooked in oil) and sarmale (pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with a mix of minced meats, rice and spices). A traditional drink enjoyed with appetizers is tuica (a plum brandy).