Every Albanian home has a smell that means Sunday. Here are the dishes and drinks that turn up at family tables from Tirana and Prishtina to Toronto, and what to say before you eat: Ju bëftë mirë! (enjoy your meal).
Savoury
- Byrek (also burek, or pite in Kosovo and some regions): a savoury pie of thin, layered dough filled with cheese, spinach, minced meat or pumpkin. Baked as one big round pie or as small triangles. It belongs to the wider börek family found across the region.
- Tavë kosi: baked lamb and rice under a yogurt and egg topping, linked to the city of Elbasan and often called one of Albania’s national dishes.
- Fërgesë: peppers and tomatoes baked with gjizë, a fresh curd cheese. A Tirana classic, with versions made with liver or other meat.
- Flija (flia): from northern Albania and Kosovo. Thin layers of batter brushed with cream and baked one at a time under a saç lid, served with sour cream. It takes hours, and it is worth it.
- Qofte: grilled or fried (të fërguara) patties of minced meat with onion and herbs.
- Speca të mbushur: peppers stuffed with rice and minced meat, or with vegetables, cheese or egg, then baked.
- Japrakë and sarma: grape-leaf or cabbage-leaf rolls filled with rice, minced meat, onion and herbs.
Sweet
- Bakllava: thin pastry layered with walnuts or almonds and soaked in syrup. The centrepiece of the Bajram table in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.
- Trileçe: a sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk and usually topped with caramel. It comes from the Latin American tres leches cake and has become a favourite across Albania and Kosovo.
- Ballokume: buttery cornflour cookies from Elbasan, traditionally eaten on Dita e Verës (Summer Day, 14 March). More on Dita e Verës.
To drink
- Kos is yogurt, and dhallë is a chilled drink of yogurt, water and salt. Try it with byrek.
- Raki: a fruit brandy, usually made from grapes, or from plums and other fruit in colder regions. Skrapar is famous for it. Raise a glass with Gëzuar!
- Çaj mali (mountain tea): an herbal tea made from Sideritis, which grows wild in the mountains of Albania, Kosovo and the wider Balkans.
- Coffee: Turkish coffee boiled in a small xhezve is still made at home, while cafés serve espresso and macchiato. Going for a coffee is less about the coffee and more about the company.
Shared with the neighbours
Many of these dishes are shared across the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, and every family swears theirs is the right recipe. That is part of the fun. Learn a few table phrases in our Albanian phrase guide.
Sources: Wikipedia: Börek · Wikipedia: Tavë kosi · Wikibooks: Fërgesë of Tirana · Wikipedia: Flia · Wikipedia: Trileçe · Wikipedia: Ballokume · Albanian National Tourism Agency: bakllava · Wikipedia: Rakia · Wikipedia: Sideritis