Food

Albanian Food

Type of Food / Cuisine

Albanian food is typical of the cuisine of Southeast European countries. It is also an example of what is referred to as the Mediterranean diet because of the importance of olive oil, fruits, vegetables and fish. Cooking traditions in Albania are diverse due to various environmental factors that make the cultivation of nearly every kind of herb, vegetable and fruit possible. Olive oil is the most commonly used oil in Albanian cooking, and has been produced all throughout Albania since antiquity.

Albanian food is divided into three major regional cuisines. In the north, meat, fish, and vegetables are central to the food of the region. Some common ingredients of the northern cuisine are potatoes, beans, carrots, cabbage, cherries, nuts, garlic, and onions. In the central region of Albania, the food contains a lot of fish and meat due to the proximity to the Adriatic Sea. Central Albania is also known for its desserts. Southern Albanian cuisine contains a lot of dairy, especially cheese, as well as fish, chicken, and beef.  All three regions rely heavily on onions for almost every dish. Albania is actually ranked 5th in the world for the consumption of onions per capita.

Beverages

Tea is a widely consumed beverage all throughout Albania, and Albanians drink tea at cafes, restaurants, and at home. It is particularly served at cafés, restaurants or at home. Because Albania has a wide range of herbs, especially in the mountainous regions, there is a particular type of tea that many drink. This teas is a called mountain tea and is brewed from a plant called Sideritis that grows in the wild around mountainous areas.

In addition to mountain tea, many Albanians enjoy black or Russian teas which is prepared with sugar, milk, and/or honey.

Coffee is extremely popular in Albania due to the coffee culture developed during the Ottoman period.  Small coffee shops are found everywhere in towns and cities, and function as meeting places for socializing and conducting business. The capital city, Tirana is well known for its coffee shop culture.

Dhallë is a traditional drink made from mixing yogurt with water or milk with spices. It is consumed most during the summer and is traditionally served cold with salt.

Another popular drink is Boza. This is a malt beverage made from corn and wheat. It is traditionally served with desserts.

Salads and Appetizers (Meze)

Popular appetizers in Albania include cornbread or wheat, which is always present on every Albanian table at meal time. Whether you are eating lunch at your house or a at a friend’s, or even eating dinner at a restaurant, you will always be served bread in Albania. Bread is so important in Albanian cuisine that instead of saying, “let’s go out to eat,” people say, “për të ngrënë bukë,” which translates roughly to “let’s go get bread.”

Vegetable salads are usually served with both lunch and dinner. These salads are typically eaten to balance out the meat dishes that are commonly served. The ingredients that you will always find in salads are green or red peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives and cucumbers. These salads are typically tossed with a combination of salt, olive oil, and vinegar or lemon juice. Albanian vegetable salads are easy to make and enjoy. If you would like to make one yourself, here is a simple recipe to follow: https://www.food.com/recipe/albanian-tomato-cucumber-salad-307882

Fërgesë verorë is a vegetarian version of fërgesë, which is a traditional dish in Albania made of green and red peppers, along with skinned tomatoes and onions and is served as a side to meat dishes.

Japrak is a stuffed vegetable dish made with grape leaves, olive oil, and stuffed with rice. Along with japrak, grilled beef and chopped onions are generally served cold with bread and tarator. Tarator is a cold appetizer and is often served during the summer months. The ingredients of tarator include cucumber, garlic, olive oil, salt and yogurt. It is very similar to the Greek staple, tzatziki, but is more soup-like in consistency.

A variety of soups are eaten across Albania, especially in the winter. The most popular soups are potato, cabbage, bean, and fish stew. Trahana is an extremely popular soup in Albania and in the Eastern Mediterranean more generally. Its main ingredients are a mixture of wheat and fermented milk or yogurt.

Traditional Dishes

Traditional food in Albania is largely meat-based. Beef and pork are the most commonly consumed meats. Albania has many small eateries that specialize in beef, lamb, and goat dishes. Among some of the mountain communities, smoked meat and pickled vegetable are common. In addition to the popular meat dishes, fish is also a large part of traditional cooking. Because Western Albania is entirely coastline along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, sea-bass, octopus, and calamari are very common in dishes.

Fërgesë is the most popular dish in Tirana and Central Albania. It is made with peppers, tomatoes, onions and gjizë (similar to cottage cheese). Ingredients are cooked on the stove and then baked in the oven to make a thick sauce. Some versions of the dish include liver or cooked beef. Fërgesë with liver is considered a common dish of Tirana and, therefore, is sometime called fërgesë tirane.

Tavë kosi is often considered the national dish of Albania that is eaten all throughout the country.

This dish consists of baked lamb and rice, and is mixed with a flavored yogurt sauce. the way it is cooked and served is similar to what we might call in America a casserole. There are many variations of tavë that use a variety of ingredients, and it is traditional that some of Albania’s largest towns have their own special version of this dish. If you want to try and make this national dish of Albania, here is a tutorial video to show you how:

Another popular dish in Albania is called Qebapa. These are small homemade grilled skinless sausages traditionally made of a lamb and beef mix. It is primarily served with onions, sour cream, ajvar (red pepper sauce), and pita bread called pitalka. This dish is similar to what we would call kabobs.

Pite, or pie, is also considered one of the national foods of Albania. Do not let the word pie fool you, though. These pies are savory dishes and not sweet desserts. The most common Albanian pies include Byrek, Pepeq, Shaprak, and Lakror. Lakror is a pie that has layers of dough thinner than a byrek and it is traditionally cooked on embers, covered with a metal lid. The most common fillings in these pies are leeks, onions, spinach, tomato and gjizë (cottage cheese).

Along with the dishes described above, Albania is known for its Italian food. Yes, you read that right, Italian. Remember from our section on Albania’s history that there has been a heavy Italian influence in Albania for over 200 years, and that has shaped Albanian cuisine. It is very common to see Italian restaurants all throughout Albania. These restaurants serve pizzas along with traditional Italian pasta dishes.

Desserts

Albanians have a strong tradition of baking pastries and there are pâtisseries (pastry shops) in every city and town.  Albanian desserts and pastries consist primarily of fruits, typically citrus, and others that are grown in the country, like cherries.

Baklava is made frequently in Albania, especially during religious holidays due to its limited ingredients. It is made in large trays, usually with walnuts and filo sheets, and is drenched in a syrup made from water, honey, orange juice, and cinnamon.

Petulla is a fried dough made from wheat, and is covered with powdered sugar and raspberry jam. This is an extremely popular dessert among Albanians.

Ballokume is a type of cookie that originated in the Middle Ages, and Albanians prepare it every year for a special holiday called Summer Day. It consists of butter, sugar, eggs, and cornmeal. It is made in a copper bowl, which helps to improve the texture of the dough. The dough must be kneaded vigorously. Because of this, it has become a tradition for the men of the house to be involved in the preparation of ballokume.

Jams, also known as Reçel, are enjoyed all year in Albania and are a major component of the Albanian cooking tradition. Jams are fruit preserves made by cooking the juice of the fruit with the fruit itself, and is mixed with sugar. It is served alongside many dishes and desserts in Albania.

Tambëloriz or sultjash, is a popular dessert among Albanians. It is a type of rice pudding made from milk, rice, cinnamon, nuts, and raisins.

Pastashu is a type of pastry filled with a cream, vanilla, coffee, or chocolate custard. The top of the pastry is then covered with icing. You may have had a dessert similar to this before called an Éclair.

Trileçe is an Albanian adaptation of Tres leches. It is a cake made traditionally with three different milks: cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and milk from water buffaloes. Albania was the first country to introduce the dessert from South America into the Balkans. It is believed that the dessert was introduced to Albania because of the popularity of Brazilian soap operas there.

Last, one of the most important desserts, which is also believed to be one of the world’s oldest, is Ashure. It is particularly popular among the Bektashi Muslim communities in Albania and is served during Muslim holidays. It is a sweet rice porridge that is mixed with grains, nuts , and dried fruits.

Albanian desserts usually take a very long time to prepare and bake, and the recipes are often very complicated. However, if you want to try and make a popular Albanian dessert that is simpler to make, here is a tutorial for Tambëloriz (rice pudding):

Conclusion

This ends our lessons on the food of Albania. Here we learned about typical ingredients, national dishes, and of course, desserts. Are you hungry now? Be sure to watch the tutorial videos and you, your family, and your friends can make some of Albania’s most popular foods. Ju bëftë mirë (Bon appetit)!