Hi all! In Albania, I was not only interesting and beautiful, but also tasty. The local cuisine combines Greek and Arabic dishes, as well as a large amount of seafood, which is enough here. In the north of the country, casseroles.
river fish and cornmeal dishes are popular among Albanians. In the central part of the country, meat dishes and pies with vegetable fillings are more often eaten. In the south, locals are engaged in the manufacture of cheese, as well as the cultivation of olives and citrus fruits. I have compiled my list of dishes that I would advise you to try in Albania.
Tave goats. If you come to a national Albanian restaurant, you will certainly be offered to try one of the main traditional dishes – tave kozi. You will be served it in a pot or a ceramic dish, it looks like a casserole from above – the dish is poured with a mixture of egg and yogurt. Tave Kozi is a very fragrant hot dish, because it contains garlic and oregano. The filling is a mixture of lamb and spicy rice.
Ferges Tirana. We tried this dish in one of the restaurants in the capital of Albania – Tirana. As I said, in the center of the country, locals prefer meat dishes, but there is also something for vegetarians and just lovers of vegetables.
Fergesa Tirane is a casserole that first lightly sautés ripe peppers and tomatoes. Then vegetables are added to a ceramic pot and poured with a delicate creamy sauce made from homemade feta. The top is sprinkled with paprika and pepper. It looks like Greek moussaka.
Soup pawn. During my three visits to Albania, I only tried soup there once. Preference was more often given to meat and seafood. But this fish soup deserves attention. A pawn is an Albanian fish soup, a soup made from local delicious fish. Traditionally, this is sea bass or sea bass. The fact is that Albanians add celery root and zucchini to it. But the potatoes that are in our ear are not added to the pawn.
Burek. I can’t help it, I love baking so much. And in Albania it is beautiful! Moreover, they prepare it not for tourists, but for their own – locals. Albanians in the mornings like to stop by one of the bakeries for fresh hot bureks – this is already a ritual.
Baking is a thin puff pastry, inside of which minced meat, vegetables or homemade pickled cheese are hidden. It must be warned that this is very oily, the crust of the burek shines with oil. But together with ayran or coffee, these pastries are perfect for breakfast or a snack.
Tsifchi. I told you that while walking through the Albanian city of Gjirokastra, we came across a traditional tavern. We asked what kind of local dishes we would be advised to try and they brought us … rice balls.
We were a little surprised. It seemed that Albanian food should look somehow more complicated or something, more sophisticated. But no, we tried the real traditional dish (but we saw it, by the way, only in Gjirokastra).
Tsifchi are rice balls with herbs fried in olive oil. Sometimes they add cheese. But it is precisely because this dish is difficult to find in other cities that makes it unusual.
A separate topic is fish and seafood. This is my favorite when choosing food in Albania. Here they not only catch various tasty fish, but also grow mussels! You can even see these farms yourself and learn more about the process of growing them.
To do this, you need to go to The Mussel House restaurant in the village of Ksamil in the south of the country. If you are relaxing in Tirana, you can get to it by taxi or bus. I
After the boat tour, you will be offered lunch here, in the restaurant. You can try the freshest oysters, mussels, shrimps and other seafood. My favorite lunch option is mussels in a creamy sauce and spaghetti with shrimp or crab. Mmmm, gastronomy is a separate art form for me!
Albanian dishes have their roots in the ancient Ottoman Empire. Contemporary influences include Greece, Italy and Turkey. Often in establishments there are Italian dishes: pizza, pasta, risotto, and they are just as good as in Italy. In the article “What to try in Albania” I wrote about it.
At first glance, Albanian cuisine may seem mysterious, but if you study the geography and history, you can imagine what it will consist of. The country’s cuisine is shaped by both its place and its past, and you’ll find that in Albania the two pair deliciously.
