The cuisine of Albania reflects to some extent the history of this country. Isolation and poverty meant that dishes were invented here often on an ad hoc basis, by poor people, often shepherds. They used available products and prepared them to be filling – hence a lot of meat dishes.
The favorable climate, however, means that this kitchen does not lack exceptionally aromatic, tasty fruit and vegetables, and the proximity of the sea secures the supply of fish and seafood.
Let’s not forget about high-quality cheeses.
What delicacies can we find in Albanian cuisine? What is definitely worth trying while spending your holidays in this country and what is dessert for the brave?
Starters and extras in the Albanian cuisine
Albanian cuisine is full of various types of salads, usually containing tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, peppers and onions. In combination with olive oil, wine vinegar and salt, they create typical Albanian delicacies. For example, sallate mikse (tomato, cucumber, lettuce, feta cheese) is recommended.
But the starter set doesn’t stop there.
We also find here perime zgare, grilled vegetables, among which the most common are eggplant, zucchini and pepper. Salted, topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar are a great snack. In addition, in Albania fries (patate te skuqura) and perime te zjera (cooked vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and cauliflower, served cold) are very popular.
Dairy
Salce kosi is an additive resembling Greek tzatziki, although usually devoid of grated cucumber. It is spread on bread, and it can be garnished with oil and olives. Djathe and bardhe are feta-like cheeses. Djathe lope is cow’s cheese, while djathe dele is sheep’s cheese.
Meat dish
Albanian cuisine abounds in meat dishes, which are known to be the most filling.
Here are some of the most popular:
- Pilaf me pule – oven-roasted chicken with rice. By ordering this dish in a restaurant you can expect a large dish with whole chicken, so you will have a feast for several people.
- Japrak – a kind of tiny rolls, in which the filling is rice with meat or only rice with lemon, wrapped in grape leaves. They are eaten cold.
- Arapash is corn flour served with liver (me melci) or beef (me mish vici).
- Brinje qengji – lamb ribs,
- Qofte – minced chops,
- Brinje gici – pork ribs.
Fish and seafood in Albanian cuisine
Fish and seafood play a special role in Albanian cuisine. You can order makarona me fruta deti pasta almost everywhere – this is pasta with seafood, which can be served without sauce (te bardha) or with sauce (me salce). It is also worth trying risotto me fruta deti, risotto with seafood and qofte peshku, fish chops.
What other dishes are worth trying?
- Friture peshku, fried seafood, among which we will find, among others, calamari, octopus and shrimp.
- Saute midhje – mussels in their own sauce.
- Sallate oktapod crudo – thin slices of marinated octopus.
- Supe peshku – fish soup with seafood and pieces of fish.
- Karkaleca zgare – large, grilled shrimps,
- Këmbë bretkose, frogs’ legs.
Other dishes in Albania
As we said, Albanian cuisine is full of filling dishes, so you can expect that after one small meal we will gain strength for long sightseeing or walks full of beautiful views. Such a meal is definitely supe pule, thick white soup in which we find rice (oriz) and pieces of chicken.
Vegetarian dishes in Albania
Although many dishes in the Albanian cuisine contain meat, vegetarians will certainly also find something for themselves. First of all, you will order vegetable soup in almost every restaurant, even if it is not on the menu. In addition, pispili (a type of gugelhupf made from corn flour and served savory with spinach) and pasticio (a casserole of spaghetti pasta and feta cheese, baked in a sauce of milk and eggs) are also recommended.
Certainly, an interesting discovery for vegetable lovers will be okra (bamje), which can be found in different parts of Europe, and has been prepared in the Balkans for generations. It is often added to dishes such as lecho, with vegetables and tomato sauce.
Fast food in Albania
It is difficult to miss the dishes served by small, local bars, where you will often find quite tasty and fresh dishes.
Here are some examples:
- Byrek is a type of puff pastry stuffed with spinach, cottage cheese, ground meat and onions, or a pumpkin.
- Suflaque – kebab in a roll or pita.
- Petulla – a kind of pancakes with a neutral taste, thanks to which they can be served with feta cheese as well as honey or sugar.
Desserts in Albanian cuisine
The filling and simple Albanian cuisine can not lack desserts – very sweet, so to speak, dripping with honey and sugar. How tasty!
Baklava, made with filo dough, nuts, honey and cinnamon, is one of Albania’s sweet snacks.
In addition, it is also worth trying kadaif – a dessert made of thread-like dough, which after baking is soaked in syrup and sprinkled with nuts.
Ashure is a type of porridge cooked with raisins, dried fruits, nuts and cinnamon, sulltjash is rice on milk with cinnamon and nuts, and kos me mjalt dhe ara is kefir with honey and nuts.
Revani is a cake soaked in water with sugar, and hasude is a caramel jelly with nuts (served hot!).
Kurabi are shortbread cookies with powdered sugar, and trilece is a cake filled with milk and covered with caramel coating.
If you liked Albanian cuisine and want to taste all these delicacies then you will certainly be interested in other information and interesting facts about Albania. If you are planning a vacation and vacation in Albania, we invite you to read our other articles about Albania – thanks to them you will learn much more!
Dessert for the brave
Kabuni is a unique dessert in Albanian cuisine. Sugar and raisins are added to butter-fried rice, as well as … mutton (actually overcooked tendons). Dessert turns out to be not bad in taste, but the very fact of combining such ingredients arouses in many people understandable aversion.
Drinks and alcohol in Albania
Espresso is the most popular non-alcoholic drink in Albania, which is drunk here from morning to evening. Albanians eagerly drink boza – a thick, sweet and sour drink made of corn and wheat, and dhalle – a diluted, brackish yogurt. Rakija is the leading drink, i.e. vodka made from sweet grapes (available for purchase in stores as well as from local hosts). It is a strong drink containing 40 to 70% alcohol, which is why it should be sipped very slowly. As a souvenir from a trip to Albania, it’s worth bringing the Albanian Skanderberg brandy (also called cognac, although according to EU regulations, there can only be one cognac – French).
What do you think is worth eating in Albania? We are waiting for suggestions and opinions in the comments!