2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Albanian cuisine is the national cuisine of the state of Albania, located on the Balkan Peninsula. The favorable 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. Here the Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman and Arab cultures are mixed.
Special products in Albanian cuisine
Vegetables in Albanian cuisine
As with any other Mediterranean cuisine, Albanian is dominated by vegetables. The most popular of these are eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and legumes.
Meat and fish in Albanian cuisine
Lamb is widely used in Albanian cuisine. It is said that the best lambs are raised in the Valera area. A special delicacy is the meat of animals raised on the Karaburun Peninsula near Vlora - this is an untouched nature park.
Beef, rabbit and chicken are also used in Albanian cuisine.
Fish and seafood dishes are widespread. Sea fish is an everyday dish. Of the lake fish, trout and carp are popular.
Dairy products in Albanian cuisine
Milk and dairy products play an important role in Albanian cuisine. Yogurt is consumed by Albanians daily and is the basis of many sauces and other dishes. Albania also produces cheese, the most popular of which is white cheese made from sheep's milk.
Spices in Albanian cuisine
The main spices of Albanian cuisine are black pepper, garlic, oregano, parsley, dill, cinnamon, mint, cloves and bay leaves.
Traditional dishes in Albanian cuisine
Albanian bread
Much attention is paid to bread in Albanian cuisine. No food is complete without white or cornbread. And even the table invitation in Albanian literally translates as "let's eat bread."
Albanian soups
In Albania, soups are conventionally divided into summer and winter. Cold soups are prepared with vinegar, cucumber, garlic, walnuts, dill and spices. And the winter ones are mostly made of potatoes.
Tarator - soup of yogurt, cucumbers, onions and grated walnuts. Serve cold.
Cucumber soup - resembles okroshka.
Main dishes in Albanian cuisine
As a rule, the most common Albanian dishes typical of Balkan cuisine are meat dishes. Albania is no exception. The main dishes here are different variations of stews, meatballs and different meat broths.
Fried meatballs are usually prepared as follows: Minced meat, bread crumbs, butter, onions, parsley and mint are mixed thoroughly and sprinkled with salt, oregano and pepper. Then roll in flour and fry in hot oil. Serve hot with french fries or mashed potatoes.
Stuffed peppers are another popular dish. Peppers are usually stuffed with meat, rice, fried onions, dill and parsley.
Cheese and spinach pie is also very popular.
There is a variety of rice dishes in Albania. When preparing rice dishes Albanian recipes, it is best to use the Basmati variety. It is fried, boiled, baked until the rice becomes moist and starchy in texture. In Albanian cuisine, rice is usually fried for a few minutes in a combination of olive oil and butter before adding spices and then stewed in a broth mixed with boiling water.
Byrek is a favorite dish of Albanian cuisine and is stuffed with onions, 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 by hand, filled with filling. The dough is so thin that the total height of these 40 layers does not exceed 5-6 cm.
Lakror is traditional Albanian cake, kind of burek. It is made from stretched dough with different fillings: spinach with cheese, leeks with cheese, minced meat with onions, tomatoes with peppers and many others.
Tave hair is a traditional Albanian dish, one of the most popular in Albania. This is roast lamb with rice and yogurt.
Schumlek / chomlek (Cömlek) - meat stewed with onions and vegetables, known in our kitchen as Chomlek.
Fërges is a traditional Albanian dish. There are two options for Ferges: vegetables (tomatoes and paprika baked with feta cheese) and meat (sliced beef or veal liver baked with feta cheese). The most popular version of this dish is Fërges Tirane, originally from the capital of Albania, Tirana.
Rostomi salce kosi - roast beef in yogurt sauce.
Kukurec is a sheep's liver stuffed with meat and vegetables.
Photo: Maria Simova
Arabic is an Albanian dish made from corn flour made with lamb liver.
Salads and snacks in Albanian cuisine
All salads in Albania are made with fresh vegetables. In general, these are tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and olives, seasoned with salt, olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice.
Desserts in Albanian cuisine
An important part of Albanian cuisine is baking and preparing desserts. Albania is a paradise for sweets. There are countless varieties of baklava, kadaif and other desserts.
Baklava - a dessert made of thin dough soaked in honey and stuffed with dried fruit. The legacy of the Ottoman Empire.
Lokum (Lokum) - pieces of stewed pumpkin, rolled in powdered sugar. It also comes from Turkic cuisine.
Crepe - thin pancakes.
Petula - donuts.
Oshav - sweet rice cakes with honey.
It's Akullore traditional Albanian ice cream with its unusual taste.
Kabuni is a sweet rice pudding with spices and fruits.
Drinks in Albanian cuisine
Coffee in Albania is drunk Turkish (cafe turke) or espresso (cafe express), but they make it stronger.
Bose is a refreshing corn drink.
Rehani is a popular drink in Albanian cuisine made from grape juice.
Alcohol in Albanian cuisine
Due to the Mediterranean climate, Albania is quite strong in grape and wine production. 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 beverage is brandy, which is made from fermented fruits. Grapes and plums are commonly used in Albania for brandy production. Brandy is usually served with antipasti or feta cheese.
Uzo (UZO) - aniseed liqueur of Greek origin, popular in Albania.
Herbal tincture of fernet is traditionally produced in Korca and also deserves attention.
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