Albanian cuisine

The Albanian cuisine (Albanian Kuzhina Shqiptare ) is the national cuisine of the Albanian people. It is part of the Balkan cuisine and was thus in mutual influence with neighboring food cultures. The Albanian cuisine varies from region to region considerably.

A special feature of the Albanian cuisine is the variety of ingredients: The spectrum ranges from the basic food wheat, corn, rice, barley, rye, potato and bean to the different leaf, fruit, root vegetables and cabbage. Often meats used include lamb, goat, beef and veal, chicken and other poultry as well as depending on the denomination also pig. Fish is also widely used. The desserts of the Turkish- oriental influence can be clearly felt.

Features

For Albanians, the main meal of the day is lunch. This includes usually a salad of fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and olives. The main course usually consists of pasta, rice, potatoes or legumes or vegetables. Usually there is meat to near the seashore and of the great inland lakes and fish. Widespread in Albania is the Meze: different small meals, more or less strongly prepared, which are served throughout the meal. As a drink is traditionally raki ( grape brandy ) or beer, served by Muslims coffee or tea.

Albania has a rich wine-growing culture that is little known, however, abroad for centuries. A widely used type of wine is the Merlot. The konjac Skënderbeu one of the national drinks.

Food culture

At the beginning of meal you say to the people at the table Ju bëftë mirë! (! Alb. for Bon Appetit, literally translated, however: it should you patronize good!), they reciprocate with Faleminderit, EDHE ju gjithashtu! (literally translated: Thank you, you too). Tradition is that you ask the guest / eater repeatedly if he wanted more. Give him more then, even though he might not want / like it, but it is insulting or rude to refuse. At the end of meal they say the stand-up, which is done eating: A per ngopur? (literally: Are you tired? ).

Albanian food

Starters

  • Tarator, summery starter
  • Dried fish and salted meat
  • Qiqra, snail -shaped bread made ​​with chickpea flour
  • Turshia, pickles and marinated vegetables (especially green tomatoes, red pepper, cabbage, eggplant, hot peppers, etc.) in vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, onions, parsley and other spices and herbs
  • Cheeses, especially sheep, goats and hard cheese, originally, as they have a very high salt content and are almost always wet ( brine ), and is known primarily of sheep's milk cheese from Tetova (Mali i Sharrit )
  • Different soups - eg pumpkin soup or broth with chicken

Main dishes

  • Tave Elbasani
  • Albanian Byrek, a kind of burek
  • Pete, a kind of covered pizza ( of several layers of dough ), with leeks, spinach, onion, bean or green cabbage filling
  • Chicken stuffed with walnut
  • Turli, vegetable stew
  • Fërgesë Tirane
  • Oshmare Korce
  • Biftek, ground beef filled with white sheep's milk cheese
  • Qofte të Skares, grilled Qofte
  • Potato soup with veal
  • Fasule, also Pasule, Albanian bean soup, standard version
  • Albanian musaka, potato and ground beef casserole
  • Burani, Albanian bean soup, another variant with green beans
  • Laker, cabbage soup with veal
  • Albanian Sarma, minced meat and rice seasoned with pepper, wrapped in vine or cabbage leaves
  • Albanian chicken rice, fried chicken on rice with peppers
  • Cream Pancakes

Desserts

The desserts of the Albanian cuisine show strong oriental influence.

  • Halva
  • Hasude, dry shortbread
  • Llokume
  • Kadaif
  • Muhalebi, cardamom milk drink
  • Revani - baked pasta with sugar and cinnamon
  • Sultjash
  • Mixed Qumështor, warm milk with cinnamon
  • Bakllava
  • Eklera
  • Sheqerpare ( " sugar money " ), fried dumplings, and then steeped in sugar syrup
  • Ballka, almost the same as Sheqerpare, only that the individual dumplings is surrounded by another consisting of cocoa dumplings.
Albanian wine Entrée Salisbury steak Feta Pasulj Turkish delight
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