Albanian cuisine

Albanian cuisine (Albanian: Kuzhina shqiptare) is a representative of the cuisine of the Mediterranean. The cooking traditions of the Albanian people are diverse due to the environmental factors such as the geological and climatic conditions, which are suitable for the cultivation of nearly all kinds of herbs, vegetables and fruits. Nevertheless, olive oil is the commonly used vegetable fat in Albanian cooking, which has been produced since antiquity throughout the country particularly along the coasts.

The cooking traditions of the Albanian people are diverse due to the environmental factors such as the geological and climatic conditions, which are suitable for the cultivation of nearly all kinds of herbs, vegetables and fruits. Nevertheless, olive oil is the most ancient and commonly used vegetable fat in Albanian cooking, which has been produced since antiquity throughout the country particularly along the coasts.

The country's cuisine can be divided into three major regional cuisines. The cuisine of the northern region has a rural, coastal and mountainous origin. Meat, fish and vegetables are central to the cuisine of the northern region. The people there uses many kinds of ingredients, which usually grow in the region including potatoes, carrots, maizes, beans, cabbages but also cherries, walnuts and almonds. Onions and garlics are as well important components to the local cuisine and added to almost every dishes.

The cuisine of the central region is threefold of rural, mountainous and coastal. The central region is the flattest and rich in vegetation and biodiversity as well as culinary specialties. It has Mediterranean characteristics due to its location to the sea, which is rich in fish. Dishes here include of several meat specialties and desserts of all kinds. The cuisine in the southern region is composed of two components, namely the rural products of the field including dairy products, citrus fruits and olive oil and the other coastal, which is seafood. Those regions are particularly conducive to raising animals as pastures and feed resources are abundant.

Besides garlics, onions are arguably the country's most widely used ingredient. In behalf to that, Albania is ranked 2nd in the world in terms of onion consumption per capita. Notably, the country's cuisine is an example of the Mediterranean diet due to the importance of olive oil, fruits, vegetables and fish.

Characteristics and meals

The strategic location of Albania in the western Balkan Peninsula with a direct proximity to the Mediterranean Sea has a large influence on Albanian cuisine. Further foods that are common in the Mediterranean Basin, such as olives, wheat, chickpeas, dairy products, fish, fruits and vegetables are prominent in Albanian cooking tradition. Albania has a distinctly Mediterranean climate. Across the country's territory there is a wide range of microclimates due to differing soil types and topography that allow a variety of products to be grown on the fertile soil. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons, figs and olives thrive in the country.

Typical breakfast in Albania.

Every region has its own typical breakfast. Breakfast often usually consists of a light meal. Fresh bread is frequently eaten and served with butter, cheese, jam and yogurt, accompanied with olives, coffee, milk, tea or raki. It is common to have only a fruit or slice of bread and a cup of coffee or tea for breakfast. Although coffee and tea is enjoyed in both at home or at the many cafés that feature in towns and cities throughout the country.

Lunch is traditionally the biggest meal of the Albanians. Everyone in Albania enjoy this lunch break, from school kids to shop workers and government officials. Traditionally, people go back to their houses to have lunch with their families, while nowadays it is common to have lunch in groups or friends at restaurants or cafeterias. Lunch sometimes consists of gjellë, the main dish of slowly cooked meat with various vegetables, accompanied with salad of fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, onions and olives. Salads are typically served with meat dishes and are dressed with salt, virgin olive oil, white vinegar or lemon juice. Grilled or fried vegetables and sausages and various forms of omelettes are also eaten during lunch, accompanied with coffee, tea, fruit juices and milk.

Dinner in Albania is a smaller meal, often consisting only of a variety of breads, meat, fresh fish or seafood, cheese, eggs and various kind of vegetables, similar to breakfast, or possibly sandwiches.

Ingredients

Figs are very popular across the country.

Located in Southern Europe with a direct proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the Albanian cuisine features a wide range of fresh fruits, which grow naturally in the fertile Albanian soil and under the warm sun. In consideration of being an agricultural country, Albania is a significant fruit importer and exporter. Besides citrus fruits, cherries, strawberries, blueberries and rapsberries are among the most cultivated fruits. A lot of Albanians keep various fruit trees in their yards across the fertile country's territory. Fresh and dried fruits are eaten as snacks and desserts.

Oregano is among the most commonly used herbs in Albanian cuisine.

Fruits that are traditionally associated with Albanian cuisine include apple, grape, olive, orange, nectarine, blackberry, cherry, persimmon, pomegranate, figs, watermelon, avocado, lemon, peach, plum, strawberries, raspberry, mulberry and carnelian cherry.

Garlic are extensively used in dishes.

A wide variety of vegetables are always used in Albanian cooking. Due to the different climate and soil conditions across Albania, cultivars of cabbages, turnips, beetroots, beans, potatoes, leeks and mushrooms can be found in a rich variety. Dried or pickled vegetables are also processed, especially in drier or colder regions such as in the remote Albanian Alps, where fresh vegetables were hard to get out of season. Particularly used vegetables include onion, garlic, tomato, cucumber, carrot, pepper, spinach, lettuce, grape leaves, bean, eggplant and zucchini.

Herbs are very popular and a wide variety are readily available at supermarkets or local produce stands across the country. The country's proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and the ideal climatic conditions allows the cultivation of about 250 various aromatic and medical plants. Albania is among the leading producers and exporter of herbs in the world. Further, the country is a worldwide significant producer of oregano, thyme, sage, salvia, rosemary and yellow gentian. Most commonly used herbs and other seasonings in Albanian cooking include artichoke, basil, chili pepper, cinnamon, coriander, lavender, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, thyme, bay, vanilla, saffron.

Drinks

Main article: Albanian wine

Mountain tea has a long tradition in Albania and is the most popular tea of the locals.

Tea is a widely consumed beverage throughout Albania and particularly served at cafés, restaurants or at home. The country is rich in the cultivation of a wide range of herbs. The most popular varieties of tea drinking in Albania include Albanian-style mountain tea, which grows in the Albanian mountains and villages, and Russian and Turkish-style black tea with sugar to tea with lemon, milk or honey.

Coffee is another popular beverage in Albania, but more particularly in the cities and villages. There are various varieties of coffee popular in Albania, including filter coffee and instant coffee such as espresso, cappuccino, macchiato, mocha and latte. Cafés are found everywhere in urban areas and function as meeting places for socializing and conducting business. Almost all serve baked goods and sandwiches and many also serve light meals. Tirana is particularly well known for its café culture.

Dhallë is a traditional and healthy yogurt-based drink in Albania made by blending yogurt with water or milk and spices. It is especially popular during the summer month and it may be served with salt, according to taste.

Grapes in Berat.

Raki is the most popular spirit in Albania. It is considered as the national spirit beverage of the country. The most common types of raki in the country are grape, plum or blackberry. It is commonly served to the older people and is heated and sweetened with honey or sugar, with added spices. Although in the south of the country, Raki rigoni is very popular among the people and is made of white oregano, that is cultivated in the region.

Albania is a traditionally wine drinking country. The people of Albania drink wine in moderation and almost always at meals or social occasions. Islam is the majority religion in Albania and while observant Muslims tend to avoid the consumption of alcohol, it is available in the country. Albanians drink about 5.83 liters of wine per person per year, which has been increasing since the Albanian production of high-quality wine grows to meet demand. The origins of wine production in Albania can be traced back to 6,000 years and evidence suggesting wine production confirm that Albania is among the earliest wine producer in Europe.

Pastries and desserts

Kanojët

There is a strong tradition of home baking in in the country and patisseries are present in every city and village across the country. Entirely Albanian desserts and pastries consist primarily of fruits including oranges and lemons that grow as well as in the country. Traditionally, fresh fruits are often eaten after a meal as a dessert. Those dishes are inspired from both Western and Eastern civilizations.

Kanojët is a typical Sicilian pastry and very common among the Arbëreshë people, which brought that dish back into their homelands, Albania where it is popular. It is made of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta. The kanojët from Piana degli Albanesi, an Arbëreshë village, are often referred to be the best cannolo.

Bakllavë

Bakllava is made frequently in Albania, especially around certain religious holidays of Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox. It is prepared on large trays and cut into a variety of shapes. Bakllava is either with hazelnuts or walnuts sweetened with syrup.

Pandispanjë is a traditional base for several Albanian desserts and cakes based on flour, sugar, butter and eggs. A variety of fillings are used, such as jelly, chocolate, fruit and pastry cream.

Ballokume is an Albanian cookie, which originated in Elbasan during the Middle Ages and prepared every year on Summer Day, a public holiday in the country. It has to be brew in a large copper pots, tightly whipped with a wooden spoon and baked in the wood oven.

Tollumba

Tollumba is a fried, crispy, and sweet dessert traditionally eaten in the Balkan Peninsula. Further it is made of bits of fried dough, similar to doughnuts, steeped in lots of lemony syrup. The dough contains starch and semolina, which keeps it light and crispy.

Zupa is a popular dessert and assembled by alternating layers of the cookies or sponge cake with pastry cream. Another similar dessert is an Albanian custard dessert called krem karamele very similar to crème brûlée. This dessert is made with milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and flavoured with orange or lemon peel and cinnamon.

Various kinds of hallvë are prepared across the country with some of the most common types being flour halva. Although home-cooked semolina halva and shop-produced sesame halva are also consumed. It is a typical sweet in local religious fairs around Albania.

Tambëloriz

Tambëloriz is an popular sweet among the Albanian population across the world. It is a kind of rice pudding made from milk, rice, saffron and nuts, raisins can be added too.

Fruit jam, also known as Reçel, is enjoyed all year in Albania and a major component of the Albanian cooking tradition. The fruit preserve is made by cooking the juice of the fruit or the fruit itself, which usually grow in Albania, with sugar. It is served to many dishes as a side dish.

Akullore

Akullore is the Albanian word for ice cream and it is enjoyed both summer and winter. It is a popular dessert across the country's territory after a long meal.

Kadaif is a pastry made from long thin noodle threads filled with walnuts or pistachios and sweetened with syrup, it is sometimes served alongside baklava.

Ashure, the world oldest dessert, is served especially during Muslim holidays in Albania. It is a congee that is made of a mixture consisting of grains, nuts as well as fruits and dried fruits.

Kabuni is a traditional cold-served Albanian dessert made of rice fried in butter, mutton broth, raisins and salt. It is then boiled before sugar, cinnamon, and ground cloves are added.

Meat and fish

Ohrid trout is an ancient trout and only found in Lake Ohrid, one of the most ancient lakes in the world.

The country's cuisine is largely meat-based. Beef and veal are the most commonly consumed meats in Albania, followed by pork. Albania has many small eateries specializing in beef and lamb, goat and veal. In high elevation localities, smoked meat and pickled preserves are common. animal organs are also used in dishes such as intestines and the head among other parts, which are considered a delicacy.

The most common poultry consumed is chicken and duck. Chicken is prepared in a multitude of ways, from simple oven roasted to elaborate casseroles with rich sauces. As a country with an Islamic majority, Muslim Albanians follows the dietary law called halal which forbids the consumption of pork. Although, in other parts across of Albania where there are significant numbers of non-Muslims, pork specialities are commonly consumed.

Fresh fish is readily available and caught off the coastal areas of the Adriatic and Ionian Sea inside the Mediterranean Sea but also from the Lake Butrint, Lake Shkodër, Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa as well as Karavasta Lagoon, Narta Lagoon and Patos Lagoon. Fresh fish is served whole, in the Mediterranean style, grilled, boiled, fried whole or in slices, dressed only with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fish dishes are often flavoured with white vinegar and virgin olive oil, which particularly grows in Southern Albania.

Albanians living on the coastal cities, especially in Durrës, Sarandë and Vlorë are passionate about their seafood specialties. Popular seafood dishes include trout, calamari, octopus, cuttlefish, red mullet, sea bass, gilt-head bream and other. Baked whiting, carp, mullet or eel with olive oil and garlic are also widely consumed in the country.

Plate with Qebapa.

Tavë kosi is a national dish in Albania that is beloved throughout the country. The speciality is a simple dish of baked lamb and rice, served with a flavored yogurt sauce. Recently, it has become very popular among the Greeks and Turks associated to the large Albanian diaspora in Greece and Turkey.

Qebapa are small home made grilled meat skinless sausages made of lamb and beef mix. It is primarily served with onions, sour cream, ajvar and pita bread called pitalka.

Paçe is traditionally common in Albania. It is made with a sheep's, pig's or any cattle's head, boiled until meat comes off easily. It is then stewed with garlic, onion, black pepper and vinegar. Sometimes a little flour is added to thicken the stew. It makes a hot and hearty winter stew.

• veal or chicken with walnuts
• Fërgesë of Tirana with veal (also see sataraš)
• Fried meatballs or Qofte të fërguara.
• Proshute - a dry-cured ham
• gjiri gic a roasted pig
• Kolloface Korçe
• Pastërma - a highly seasoned, air-dried cured beef.
• Veal with very large lima beans
• Harapash, polenta with the intestines of lamb, butter, cheese and corn flour

Salads

Salads are almost served along with both lunch and dinner, which in majority are dishes based on meat. The ingredients that are used always in salads are green or red peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives and cucumbers. The salads that are representative for the Albanian cuisine are always dressed with salt, olive oil or lemon and balsamic vinegar. The usual dressings are based on garlic, lemon and black pepper.

Japrak is a stuffed vegetable dish made with grape leaves, olive oil and stuffed with risotto rice, grilled beef and chopped onions and generally served cold with bread and tarator.

A meze of fresh and cooked vegetable salads, pickled cucumbers and other vegetables, prosciutto ham, salami and brined cheese, accompanied with roasted bell peppers, olive oil and garlic is served at festive meals and sometimes in restaurants.

Fërgese is a traditional vegetarian and a national dish in Albania made of green and red peppers, along with skinned tomatoes and onions and often served as a side dish to various meat dishes.

Tarator is a cold appetizer and usually served cold; the ingredients of the tarator include cucumber, garlic, olive oil, salt and yoghurt.

• Peppers stuffed with rice, meat and vegetables
• Stuffed aubergines with cheese

Appetizers

Traditional meal served in an oven-baked clay bowl.

Appetizers includes Wheat Bread (Bukë gruri) or corn bread (Bukë misri) which are ever-present on the Albanian table. Hence the expression for "going to eat a meal" (Albanian: për të ngrënë bukë) can be literally translated as "going to eat bread." 'Bread' is also used in the authentic Albanian hospitality saying of "bread, salt, and heart" (Alb.: bukë, kripë e zemër). Other include Chicken livers (mëlci puțe), Eggplant appetizers, Dollma (Japrak), Panaret which is famous among Arbëreshë, Stuffed peppers composed of green peppers stuffed with rice, meat, other vegetables and herbs, Pickled cabbage (Turshi lakre), Fried sardines with lemon (Sardele me Limon), Albanian-style meze a platters that include prosciutto ham, salami and feta cheese, accompanied with roasted bell peppers (capsicum) or green olives marinated in olive oil with garlic or onions, Papare a bread leftovers cooked with water, egg, butter, and Gjize (salted curd cheese) and Bread and cheese referred as Buk me djath.

Soups

Tarator is a chilled yogurt and cucumber drink and is popular in the summer months.

• Bean Jahni soup
• Potato and cabbage soup
• Soup with lemon
• Groshët, famous among Arbereshe
• Tarator
• Trahana
• Shqeto is soup from Lunxheri region of Gjirokaster

Pies

Albanian byrek

• Byrek — Albanian vegetable pie; it can also have feta cheese, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, or meat; it's a layered pie made with filo pastry. Another version of the fillings is served as a filling for "pite" or "pita".
• Kungullur — Pastry layers filled with mashed pumpkin, butter, salt or sugar
• Bakllasarëm — A traditional food prepared in Kosovo and Albania: it's layered pie also known as "pite" or "pita" (Byrek) without anything inside, which is covered with yogurt and garlic, and then heated again. It is eaten for lunch.
• Flia — A traditional food prepared in Kosovo and Albania.
• Qumeshtore
• Pepeq
• Shaprak
• Qollopita
• Lakruar is similar to burek however, it has layers of filo dough with onion, olive oil, eggs. It is specialty of South regions in Lunxheri

See also

• Culture of Albania
• Agriculture in Albania
• Albanian wine
• Mediterranean cuisine
• Balkan cuisine
• Mediterranean diet