The richness and diversity of Albanian cuisine surprises all the guests of the country. Many traditional recipes, which locals love so much, take roots in Italian, Turkish and Arab cuisine. Of course, the proximity of the sea also has an impact. You can try many different seafood in any institution in Albania , their combination with sauces and side dishes is unusual, but the taste of the dish is excellent. Let's go deep into this topic and learn more about Albanian cuisine.
Main dishes of Albanian cuisine
Albanians are very fond of the combination of meat and vegetables, so traditional Albanian cuisine is prepared from these products. National second dishes in this country are:
- Chomlek is a tender beef meat stewed with onions, carrots and prunes.
- Sarma - delicious cabbage rolls with cherry tomatoes, lemon and spicy herbs.
- Gyuvech - beef meat (mutton), stewed with potatoes and pea pods and lettuce (sometimes zucchini or eggplants are added).
- Tave-Kosi - sweet stewed (baked) lamb in yogurt.
- Fargas-tyrant - an unusual dish of fried meat, liver eggs and tomatoes.
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Traditionally, such dishes of Albanian cuisine are served garnish, they can have rice with dried herbs. Usually the main dishes are rich and very tasty. They are ordered even by the smallest children, because the dishes are also very useful. In all restaurants of the country you can always find traditional dishes in the menu.
Chefs often like to improvise and add, or replace some ingredients. For example, green peas on broccoli or tomatoes for oranges. As a result, you get a real masterpiece that will surprise you with your taste. The "highlight" of any Albanian dish is a properly selected seasoning: turmeric, a mixture of hot peppers, and the like. During cooking, use also mint leaves, which give an exquisite aroma to any food and, undoubtedly, like a hungry tourist.
Dishes from fish
Soups in the national Albanian cuisine occupy a place of honor. Despite their love for meat dishes, the locals prefer to make soups from fish. And it is not surprising, because freshwater live fish is easy to get in rivers and lakes. It is also striking that it is forbidden to transport fish around the country in order to preserve the first freshness. In the restaurants of Albania you can try dishes from carp, eels or trout. Of course, you will like these dishes. Tourists distinguish:
- Levrek - soup soup from sea bass or sea bass.
- Kots - baked fish (Dorado or crucian carp) with vegetables under sweet sauce.
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In the resort towns of Albania there are many restaurants where you can taste delicious Albanian seafood dishes (mussels, octopuses, shrimps, etc.). Prices for them are very low, if you compare, for example, with Italy.
Baking in Albanian cuisine
Baking in Albanian cuisine also plays an important role. From the test, local people prepare not only desserts, but also main dishes. One of the traditional dishes in Albanian cuisine is the petula - pancakes, which they like to serve for breakfast with jam or jam. Like Albanians and burek - a roll with ground beef, for a change in minced meat, add rice and greens. This is an amazing dish you can often see in the restaurants menu. Another no less popular dish in the Albanian cuisine - burek - appeared under the influence of Turkey, where it is one of the main national dishes.
The warm climate in Albania makes it possible to grow corn of different varieties and collect its large yields. From corn here make dough, which is the basis of any baking. Like Albanians bake pies with spinach or sweet lemon pie, improvise with the preparation of cupcakes and cookies. The main stuffing in sweet pastries is, of course, fruits and nuts, but often seafood is also used.
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Dessert
The basis of all desserts of Albanian cuisine is fruit, because they grow here all year round. Of them, compotes are cooked, dried, jam is made according to recipes, which are passed down from generation to generation. The extraordinary taste of these dishes fascinates all gourmets. A traditional dessert of Albanian cuisine is the "oshaf" - dried fruit, served together with fruit syrup. The Albanians love and the dish called "ashura" is a sweet pudding made from wheat. In local restaurants of traditional cuisine you can find and "Sutlyash" - rice pudding with cinnamon.
Sweet-toothed ones should like baklava, fruits under chocolate paste or local ice-cream "kaklore". In addition to fruits, the country is very fond of eating nuts: walnuts, cashews, peanuts. Of them, make a lot of sweets and add to the main dishes.
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Beverages
A traditional drink in Albania is wine. Climatic conditions in the country allow you to harvest a high yield of grapes. Although local wines do not enjoy great world popularity, they still get a lot of good reviews. In Albania, they are not at all expensive (about $ 7), while they have excellent taste and aroma. The main alcoholic beverage is rakia - a grape brandy, which local people use during breakfast and dinner. "Skadenberg" is a chic local cognac, which won prizes at international exhibitions. You will find it in any specialized store in Albania.
The state produces beer, which you will certainly enjoy. The most popular brands in this industry are: Tirana, Kaon, Korca and Stella.
Coffee Albanians like to drink at any time of the day or night - this is their favorite pastime. Brew it much stronger than in Italy or in Turkey, so in restaurants, the drink is served with water. Makiato and espresso are popular.
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Prices of dishes in Albania
In Albania, there are a lot of cafeterias and restaurants, where traditional cuisine is served. Wonderful, tasty dishes you can taste at low prices (if you compare with Europe): for example, for a full dinner (soup, meat dish and dessert) you will spend an average of $ 26. If you order dinner in an expensive restaurant for three people, then pay about 70 dollars. A combo set in fast food will cost you $ 5, and drinks (coffee, wine, beer) in cafeterias - no more than 2 cu.