In Albania, there is an expression, “Buke e Kripe e zemer te bardhe”!, translated as ‘Bread, salt and a generous heart’ and explained with the great hospitality and generosity that Albanian people have for their guests independently from their capacity to offer much or less.
The food and eating time it’s one of the most important activities related to the pleasure for Albanian people. They used to have abundant meals and spent a lot of time for a meal.
Albanian have a Mediterranean cuisine with meat and fish, a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, all Mediterranean flavors. Our kitchen is influenced by ancient Greek and Illyrian, as well as by Ottoman/Turkish cuisine.
Turkish, Balkan, and Mediterranean kitchens have had a significant influence on Albanian cuisine, which has become known for highly nutritional and delicious food. Almost every province offers particular specialties, though the cooking of grilled meat, especially lamb, and preparation of various pies is every day throughout the country. Central and Southern Albania is well known for using a large variety of vegetables, olive oil, different spices, and lemon. The carp dish ‘Tava e Krapit’ is especially prevalent in Shkodra. At the same time, the Koran with walnuts is particularly loved in Pogradec, and many other fish dishes are trendy within the coastal zones of the Ionian and Adriatic.
Albania is also famous for a variety of pastry; a large number of them are standard throughout the Balkans and Asia Minor. One of them is Ballokumja, a traditional cake whose ingredients are corn flour, butter, and sugar, which originates in the town of Elbasan and is delivered as a treat for the Summers Day event.
Milk and dairy products play a significant role in Albanian cuisine as well. Yogurt is consumed daily by many Albanians and forms the basis for many sauces and other dishes. Buttermilk is also very popular, both as an ingredient and alone, as a drink. Albanian cheeses are unique and also vary by region. The most popular is the white cheese made from sheep’s, goat’s or cow’s milk, similar to feta.
As a result of the suitable Mediterranean climate, Albania is known for cultivating grapes and producing a variety of red and white wines. The most famous are Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Kallmet, Sangiovese, Riesling, etc. The most famous alcoholic drink in Albania, though, is Rakia (a type of brandy, similar to ‘saliva’ or ‘grappa,’ whose main ingredient is typically grapes). Some other areas of Albania use plums to produce Rakia, while Boboshtica uses raspberries. Albania is also known for producing the famous Skanderbeg cognac brandy, which has won many international awards. Among nonalcoholic beverages, Boza (a corn-based drink) is provided in the north of the country, especially in the province of Kukesi and its vicinities.
Maize is widely cultivated in this region, making maize flour not only the key ingredient in producing bread but also in cooking an assortment of traditional dishes, both salty and sweet.
The cold climate of the region enables each family to create food supplies that last for a long time like pasterma (dried meat), stuffed tripe (kukurec), mash (trahana), pasta (Jukka), etc., used during the winter season. These are homemade in every household in the north. Among the most characteristic and often used vegetables in the kitchen are: beans, potatoes, cabbage, which are ingredients in different delicious dishes. Onions and garlic are ever-present. They are tied in strings and dried, a tradition of the northern regions, so that they are available throughout the year.
Pasterma, the dried conserved meat, is a characteristic of the cold areas of this region and all the country in general. It is prepared with beans and is served both at home and restaurants.
Traditional dishes of this region include baked rice (pilaf), fritter balls (petulla), pasta (jufka), casserole (tave) of Gora, pace of Kosova, suxhuk of Gjakova, maize mash (harapash/kacimak), chicken wheat risotto (pule me oriz), garlic mash (qervish), maize flour cookies (gurabie me miellmisri), milk pie with maize flour (qumeshtore me miellmisri).
The cuisine of Shkodra occupies a special place with popular dishes such as corbaShkodrane and mish jahni. With the region being rich in water resources, both salty and not, fishing is a tradition that dates back to the Illyrians.
What makes the region stand out is not only its abundance in fish but also the traditional way they are cooked. The most well-known are crap and fish juice (krapi me leng), extremely delicious, mullet baked on tile (qefull I pjekur ne tjegull), dried sardines, etc.
Talking about the region, one cannot help but mention the reservation of Kune-Vain in the district of Lezha and the surrounding lagoons rich in seafowl and wild animals, like a duck, goose, woodcock, pheasant, wild hare, etc. Hunted for their delicious meat, these birds and animals are in the menus of local restaurants.
Albania is known for its animal-husbandry. Mainly this area of the country is famous for the breeding of livestock (he- and she-goat), given the many natural pastures and the size of herds. The variety of smaller animals grown organically is the source of milk to make dairy products. The characteristic dairy-farms, especially in Gjirokaster and Delvina, are known for the production of various kinds of cheese, soft and hard, of high quality and great taste. Together with curd, cheese is an essential item in the menu for the inhabitants of this region, but also Central Albania and beyond. The area makes the famed sheep yogurt (kosideIes), so thick it can be cut by a knife.
The climate in the coastal area favors the cultivation of olives and citrus. In every home as well as the restaurants of the whole region, olives prepared manually are served as appetizers, whether alone as a salad or accompanied by other vegetables.
The road to the Riviera is full of restaurants that prepare fresh fish or seafood dishes. The taste of shrimp, cuttlefish, squid, and mussel is memorable.