Albanian cuisine. Dishes and recipes of Albanian cuisine

The fertile climate, proximity to the sea, rich historical past and relations with neighboring countries have had a huge impact on the diversity and abundance of Albanian cuisine. Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman and Arab cultures are mixed here.

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plant food

Like any other Mediterranean cuisine, Albanian cuisine is dominated by vegetables. The most popular of them are eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and legumes.

Meat and fish

In Albanian cuisine, lamb meat is widely used, or more precisely, lamb. It is said that the best lambs are raised in the Vlorë region. A special delicacy is the meat of animals grown on the Karaburun peninsula near Vlora; it is an untouched natural park.

beef, rabbit and chicken meat.

Fish and seafood dishes are also widely spread. Sea fish is an everyday dish. From lake fish, this is mainly prepared for trout and carp.

Dairy products

Milk and dairy products play a big role in Albanian cuisine. Yoghurt is consumed daily by Albanians and is the basis for many sauces and other dishes. Cheeses are also produced in Albania, the most popular of which is white cheese made from sheep's milk.

Spices

The main spices of Albanian cuisine are black pepper, garlic, oregano, parsley, dill, cinnamon, mint, cloves and bay leaf.

Traditional dishes

Bread

Much attention in Albanian cuisine is given to bread. No meal is complete without white or corn bread. And even the invitation to the table in the Albanian language literally translates as "let's go eat bread."

Albanians are very fond of burek - a tortilla with onion, cheese, meat and spinach as a filling. Burek is the national pride of Albanian cuisine. It is prepared from 40 layers of the thinnest dough, which is rolled out by hand, laying them with stuffing. The dough is so thin that in total the height of these 40 layers does not exceed 5-6 cm.

Soups

In Albania, soups are conditionally divided into summer and winter. Cold soups are prepared using vinegar, cucumbers, garlic, walnuts, dill and spices. And winter ones are stews, for the most part, with stew and potatoes.

Tarator is a soup made from sour milk, cucumbers, onions and grated walnuts. Served cold.

Cucumber soup - reminiscent of okroshka.

Main courses

As a rule, the most common dishes characteristic of the Balkan cuisine are meat dishes. Albania is no exception. The main dishes here are various variations of stew, kofte, meatballs and various meat broths.

Fried meatballs are usually prepared as follows: minced meat, breadcrumbs, butter, onion, parsley and mint are thoroughly mixed and sprinkled with salt, oregano and pepper. Then roll in flour and fry in hot oil. Served hot with french fries or mashed potatoes.

Another popular dish is stuffed peppers. Peppers are usually stuffed with meat, rice, fried onions, chopped dill and parsley.

Also very popular is the cheese and spinach pie.

In Albania, you can find many rice dishes. When preparing Albanian rice dishes, it is best to use the Basmati variety. It is fried, boiled, baked without becoming raw and starchy in texture. In Albanian cuisine, rice is usually pre-fried for a few minutes in a combination of olive oil and butter before spices are added, and then stewed in meat broth mixed with boiling water.

TAVE KOSI (Tave Kozi) is a traditional Albanian dish, one of the most popular in Albania. It is baked lamb meat with rice and yogurt.

Schumlek is meat stewed with onions and vegetables.

Ferges - stewed veal.

Rosto-mi-salche-kozi - roast beef in sour-milk sauce.

Kukurech is a sheep liver stuffed with meat and vegetables.

Chomlek - beef stew.

Fargesa-tyrana - fried meat with liver, eggs and tomatoes.

Arapash - liver with semolina.

Salads and appetizers

All salads in Albania are made from fresh vegetables. Basically, these are tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and olives seasoned with salt, olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice.

Dessert

An important part of Albanian cuisine is baking and desserts. Albania is a paradise for the sweet tooth. Varieties of baklava, kadaif, and other desserts are countless here.

Baklava is a dessert made from thin dough soaked in honey and stuffed with dried fruits. Legacy of the Ottoman Empire.

Lukum - slices of stewed pumpkin, rolled in powdered sugar. Also comes from Turkic cuisine.

Lacrore - confectionery cakes with a variety of fillings.

Crepe - pancakes.

Petulla - donuts.

Oshaf - sweet rice cakes with honey.

Akullore is a traditional Albanian ice cream with its own unusual taste.

Kabuni (Kabuni) - sweet rice pudding with spices and fruits.

The drinks

Coffee in Albania is drunk Turkish (Cafe Turke) or espresso (Cafe Express), but they make it stronger.

Bose is a refreshing drink made from corn.

Rehani is a drink made from grape juice.

Alcohol

Thanks to the Mediterranean climate, Albania is quite strong in the production of grapes and winemaking. Both red and white wines are made here. The most common varieties are Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Calmet, Sangiovese and Riesling.

As in other Balkan countries, the traditional strong alcoholic drink is rakia, which is made from fermented fruit. Usually in Albania, grapes and plums are used to make rakia. Rakia is usually served with antipasto or cheese.

UZO is an aniseed liqueur of Greek origin, popular in Albania.

Herbal tincture Fernet is traditionally produced in Korçë and also deserves attention.

Serving and etiquette

Recipes

Tave Kozi (Tavë Kosi) is one of the favorite traditional dishes in Albania. Soft, tender lamb baked with rice, oregano and garlic, topped with yoghurt, has the most amazing flavor. And it looks spectacular. When making Tave Kozi, the yogurt cap rises above the baking dish, and then, as it cools, forms a magnificent…

Schumlek is one of the most popular Albanian dishes. Schumlek is a stew (usually beef or big game) with onions and vegetables. Ingredients - Schumlek: Beef - 1 kg, onions - 3 pcs., Vegetable oil - 4 tbsp. spoons, black peppercorns - 5-6 pcs., allspice ...

I decided to dedicate my first note about Albania to Albanian cuisine. To tell about what Albania so likes the stomach and paves the way to the very heart. :-)

After Albanian seafood, you will hardly want to go to a fish restaurant in Moscow. Firstly, because in Albania fish and seafood are the freshest. Secondly, because in Albania there are excellent chefs who know their business. The chefs are usually Albanians who have worked in Italy for many years, so pizza and various types of pasta in Albania are common and very tasty. And thirdly, prices in Albania are on average three to four times cheaper than in any average restaurant in Moscow. For example, a dinner for two with fish or seafood, wine, salad, fried potatoes will cost 2000-3000 lek, i.е. OK. 600-1000 rubles. In this case, we are talking about a restaurant.

I have never tried such seafood as in Albania. Here it is worth mentioning in particular mussels. For the first time I tried mussels in Belgium, where this dish cost crazy money, but apart from misunderstanding, this dish did not cause me anything. Slippery and tasteless. And what is special about them?

And in Albania, I eat them with such pleasure that there are no words. I have a favorite place on the coast near Durrës, where a portion of mussels is served as a compliment from the establishment. It was there that I tasted mussels and realized what their charm is. The secret is in the sauce and lemon juice used. A plate of mussels disappears in minutes. Mussels can be served with your choice of shells or battered mussels. Mussels are also added to pasta, risotto, pizza and other dishes. Mussels in Albania are grown on special plantations in the sea, the largest plantation is located in the very south of the country near Butrint. The photo above was taken at the restaurant "Juvenilja Castelo" in Tirana. It's a little more expensive than on the coast, the mussels are a little smaller, but the sauce was awesome.

Also from seafood it is worth noting shrimp, squid, octopus, they are cooked either on the grill or in batter.

These shrimps and squids were served to us on the beach "Mirror" (Pasqyra) on the way from Saranda to Butrint.
And we ate this octopus in Saranda. If the octopus is cooked correctly, it will be very tasty.

All seafood is served with lemon. Albanians also sprinkle meat with lemon, lemon juice is even added to soup along with vinegar. Sometimes too sour taste of the soup is incomprehensible to Russian tourists, this is a local feature.
In Albania, the most diverse fish is caught from the sea and served at the table. Most varieties of fish are lean. Fans of fat salmon here will have to get used to the dryish species. The fish is ready in 5 minutes. You can buy it in the market or in the store and just fry it at home in a pan. In the store or even in the market, the fish will be cleaned for you (this is included in the purchase price). On average, a fish costs about 800 lek (250-300 rubles), the price, as far as I understand, depends solely on the size of the fish: the larger the fish, the more expensive it is. Also in the fish shop you can be offered to cook fish. That is, you go to the store, choose fish or, say, shrimp, they are weighed, you pay, and then come to the time you specified and pick up a ready-made, packed take-out dish. This is convenient for various events at home when there is no time to cook for yourself.
About the fish, I will probably tell you one day separately. You will need to go to the market and arm yourself with a camera, and then work with a dictionary. I did not strain myself with the translation of the names of the fish, I call them the same as the Albanians.
I would like to note one special kind of fish, which in Albania is found only in Ohrid Lake - the koran, this is something like a trout. Albanians say that on the whole planet this fish is found only in Lake Ohrid and ... in Lake Baikal.

This photo was taken in Pogradec last year. I will tell you about the city of Pogradec on Lake Ohrid on occasion in one of the following entries.

In an ordinary Albanian home, however, seafood is not common. Albanians are meat eaters. The fact that part of the Albanian population (about 60%) are Muslims did have a certain effect on the types of meat sold in stores: pork can be found, but it is not very common. Most often, veal is sold, namely veal, and not beef. Dairy calves will be slaughtered, the carcass is more similar in size to a lamb than a cow. One day my parents tried to buy beef at the market, because they like meat that is juicier and fatter. In Albanian, a cow is a lopa. So, in the butcher's shop, they looked at them with surprise when their parents asked "shovel, shovel", but decided to satisfy their demand by showing them some kind of drumsticks, clearly intended for feeding dogs. In general, any local meat here is young: veal, lamb, pig. Imported meat is cheaper here than local meat ("Mish vendi") because it is of lower quality and comes frozen. Local meat is always sold fresh. As a rule, the butcher shop buys the whole carcass and sells this carcass in parts for the rest of the day. In this regard, I can not buy my favorite beef tongues in any way. In Albania you will be offered to buy a whole head and only one! :-) Although you will be able to try beef tongue in local restaurants: the tongue is first boiled, and then fried in batter. Delicious.
In restaurants, meat is often cooked on the grill, with vegetables, or in such earthenware pots.

This is a photo from Krui.
There are also more democratic places, such eateries, where almost nothing is served except meat. In such places (and at home among the Albanians) a dish called "dzhel" ("gjell") is served. This is a meat stew, in the preparation of which tomato paste is used. At what exactly there is practically no fat, the meat used for cooking is lean.

The dish looks like this. Vegetables are cooked along with meat, most often either green peas or plain potatoes. This photo was taken in Leskovik, a small village famous for its wine, it is in glasses. The wine is homemade, on tap, but bottled wine is also sold in the shop next door. It is semi-dry, with a very pleasant aftertaste. I highly recommend Pino Nero.
Cutlets are also common, which are called "chofte" ("qofte"). They tend to be oblong like sausages rather than round and flat like in Russia.

In tourist areas, you can eat popcorn, donuts, popcorn (here it is more often fried than boiled, but it is still soft), ice cream. And the hotel will offer the most standard continental breakfast.

Ice cream on warm waffles from Himare and breakfast at the hotel in Korçë.

In Albania, you can also try deep-fried frog legs or, for example, hedgehog roast. For Albanians, these dishes are not traditional, but you can find a place in Albania.

Today I want to take a break from the beaches and the sea and write about daily bread. :-)

I am very grateful to those who read my first attempts at writing and recommended me to write about Albanian cuisine. This journal entry is specifically for them. Especially since food plays a very important role when it comes to holidays in Albania. After Albanian seafood, you will hardly want to go to a fish restaurant in Moscow. Firstly, because in Albania fish and seafood are the freshest. Secondly, because in Albania there are excellent chefs who know their business. The chefs are usually Albanians who have worked in Italy for many years, so pizza and various types of pasta in Albania are common and very tasty. And thirdly, prices in Albania are on average three to four times cheaper than in any average restaurant in Moscow. For example, a dinner for two with fish or seafood, wine, salad, fried potatoes will cost 2000-3000 lek, i.е. OK. 600-1000 rubles. In this case, we are talking about a restaurant.

And in Albania, I eat them with such pleasure that there are no words.

I have a favorite place on the coast near Durrës, where a portion of mussels is served as a compliment from the establishment. It was there that I tasted mussels and realized what their charm is. The secret is in the sauce and lemon juice used. A plate of mussels disappears in minutes. Mussels can be served with your choice of shells or battered mussels. Mussels are also added to pasta, risotto, pizza and other dishes. Mussels in Albania are grown on special plantations in the sea, the largest plantation is located in the very south of the country near Butrint. The photo above was taken at the restaurant "Juvenilja Castelo" in Tirana. It's a little more expensive than on the coast, the mussels are a little smaller, but the sauce was awesome.

Also from seafood it is worth noting shrimp, squid, octopus, they are cooked either on the grill or in batter.

These shrimp and squid were served to us on Pasqyra beach, which I wrote about in a previous post.

I really love shrimp. From Cyprus, I fell in love with shrimp salad, which I also ate with pleasure in Thailand. Shrimp salad (prawn cocktail) I like because of the special sauce. How surprised I was when I realized that shrimp salad cannot be ordered in Albania. Not a single restaurant in Albania makes shrimp salad.

But in Albania, for the first time, I tried shrimp in a creamy sauce, baked in a pot.

This very hearty dish is called "tave karkaleci me pana" in Albanian and is not served in all restaurants. It is best cooked near Durres in the restaurant "Bunkeri Blu". The owners converted the bunker (bunker) into a kitchen and made an extension for visitors to it, resulting in a modest restaurant right by the sand.

And we ate this octopus in Saranda. If the octopus is cooked correctly, it will be very tasty.

And this year, for the first time, I tried sea eel on coals. Highly recommend. Especially if you choose a fatter eel, otherwise Albanians love lean.

All seafood is served with lemon. Albanians also sprinkle meat with lemon, lemon juice is even added to soup along with vinegar. Sometimes too sour taste of the soup is incomprehensible to Russian tourists, this is a local feature.
In Albania, the most diverse fish is caught from the sea and served at the table. Most varieties of fish are lean. Fans of fat salmon here will have to get used to the dryish species. The fish is ready in 5 minutes. You can buy it in the market or in the store and just fry it at home in a pan. In the store or even in the market, the fish will be cleaned for you (this is included in the purchase price). On average, a fish costs about 800 lek (250-300 rubles), the price, as far as I understand, depends solely on the size of the fish: the larger the fish, the more expensive it is. Also in the fish shop you can be offered to cook fish. That is, you go to the store, choose fish or, say, shrimp, they are weighed, you pay, and then come to the time you specified and pick up a ready-made, packed take-out dish. This is convenient for various events at home when there is no time to cook for yourself.
About the fish, I will probably tell you one day separately. You will need to go to the market and arm yourself with a camera, and then work with a dictionary. I did not strain myself with the translation of the names of the fish, I call them the same as the Albanians.
I would like to note one special kind of fish, which in Albania is found only in Ohrid Lake - the koran, this is something like a trout. Albanians say that on the whole planet this fish is found only in Lake Ohrid and ... in Lake Baikal.

Proximity to the sea and the influence of neighboring countries are two factors that have shaped the gastronomy of Albania. By European standards, local cuisine cannot be called ordinary. Byzantine, Arabic and Venetian traditions are intertwined in it, so on the table an analogue of the Italian risotto is adjacent to the Balkan chevapchichi. And although Albania is usually called one of the poorest countries in the world, this certainly does not apply to gastronomy. What can you try in Albania?

If you make a gastronomic map of Albania, you will notice an interesting feature. In the northern regions, corn is widely used in cooking for baking bread and making sweets. Fish is often cooked, especially carp - the north of Albania is rich in lakes and rivers. Central Albania is favorable for growing vegetables and fruits, poultry. And in the southern regions of the country you can enjoy an abundance of cheeses, citrus fruits and olives.

Main Albanian dishes

One of the favorite dishes of Albanians is fergesa. It is cooked in the oven by first filling a clay pot with a mixture of sheep's cheese, eggs, lamb's liver and chopped greens. Another option is made from red pepper, cottage cheese, tomatoes and spices. Despite the calorie content of this hearty dish, it is served as an appetizer. Tave Kosi is another dish without which it is difficult to imagine Albanian cuisine. This is the name of lamb cooked in earthenware with yogurt and eggs. The end result is an analogue of a casserole with tender meat under a soft creamy “cushion”.

Although in Albania, veal or lamb dishes are more respected, they learned how to cook chicken meat just as well here. It is worth trying the chicken breasts, which are first grilled and then poured with a creamy sauce and served with mushrooms. For those who prefer meat-free dishes, you can taste peppers stuffed with spices, cottage cheese and rice, and then baked in the oven.

The diet of Albanians is not complete without fish. It is prepared mainly on the grill with minimal addition of spices and olive oil. Grilled salmon, sea bass in garlic, lemon and oil sauce, trout, eel or carp casserole cooked in vegetable broth with vegetables are definitely worth a try. Shrimp can be ordered as a simple appetizer.

For lunch, Albanians usually eat salads or soups. Very popular salads of their simple ingredients: potatoes, beans, tomatoes. From soups, they prefer cool tarator and lemon soup.

Albanian desserts and pastries

When it comes to sweets, the locals are unpretentious - desserts in Albania are prepared from simple and affordable products. As treats, Albanians prefer candied or dried fruits, sweet pies with honey or rice, puddings made from sheep's milk or rice. Since the country abounds in fruit, in any city you can find a wide variety of jams made from pears, peaches, figs, lemons or cherries.

But the king of desserts is considered burek- in Albania you can find a great variety of these pastries. This puff pastry with an airy filling of pumpkin, cottage cheese, potatoes and lemon juice is considered especially tasty. And, of course, it cannot do without oriental sweets, which have taken pride of place in Albanian cuisine. Here you can find any kind of baklava and sweets aged in fragrant syrup.

Drinks of Albania

Wine lovers may be surprised by the variety of this drink. Albanian wines are cheaper than French or Italian ones, but the quality is just as good. Various liqueurs are also popular: aniseed, herbal and fruit. And from non-alcoholic drinks, Albanians prefer Turkish coffee or espresso. By the way, coffee here is traditionally stronger than in other European countries. Those who do not like alcohol should try and even take home herbal tea collected in the Albanian mountains. Or a tonic drink common in the Balkans bose rich in vitamins.