Food in Albania is characterized by the fact that here you can taste dishes of national, Central European and Mediterranean cuisine. In addition, local cafes, bars and restaurants will delight you not only with delicious dishes, but also with rather low prices.
Food in Albania
Albanian cuisine has been greatly influenced by Turkish, Greek and Slavic gastronomic traditions: meat dishes are widespread in the mountainous regions, and seafood dishes on the coast.
The Albanian diet consists of vegetables, fruits, meat (veal, lamb, beef, chicken), offal, seafood (shrimp, squid, mussels), rice, soups (fish, vegetable), dairy products. Albanians season their dishes with various herbs and spices, natural vinegar, lemon juice, red and black pepper, garlic, mint, parsley, bay leaves, rosemary, marjoram, and basil.
In Albania, you can enjoy the taste of beef stew (chomlek); shish kebab; meatballs (“choft”); lamb cooked with the addition of yoghurt sauce (“tave-kozi and tave-elbasani”); national cabbage rolls (dolma); sheep liver stuffed with meat and vegetables (“kukurech”); dishes based on tomatoes, fried meat, eggs and liver (“fergesa-tyrana”); cold soup with sour milk with chopped walnuts, cucumbers and onions; shrimp baked in a creamy sauce (“tavekarkalecimepana”). Meat dishes are very popular in the country and, as a rule, they are served with rice and various greens.
And those with a sweet tooth in Albania will be able to enjoy baklava, various puddings made from sheep's milk, sweet rice cakes, candied fruits and pies with honey, and local ice cream “akklore”.
Where to eat in Albania? At your service:
- cafes and restaurants, in the menu of which you can find national and dishes of other cuisines of the world;
- restaurants with Italian cuisine (if you are a vegetarian, you should definitely visit these restaurants);
- establishments where you can buy fast food, in particular burekas with various fillings (spinach, feta cheese, minced meat with onions).
Drinks in Albania
Popular Albanian drinks are coffee, ayran, Trebeshina mineral water, boza (sweet drink made from wheat and corn), rakia (local grape moonshine), wine, ouzo (anise liqueur), fruit liqueurs, fernet herbal liqueur, cognac ("Skendenberg").
Wine lovers will be able to taste Rilindja, Tokai, Merlot, Kallmet in Albania, and beer lovers - the legendary local foamy drink Korca.
Food tour to Albania
If you go on a wine and food tour to Albania, you can see the main attractions of the 2500-year-old city of Berat, visit a real Albanian winery, tasting wines and crayfish there. In addition, lunches and dinners will be organized for you in traditional Albanian restaurants, where you will taste the local cuisine.
Holidays in Albania are not only amazing nature, uncrowded Adriatic beaches, interesting heritage and relative cheapness, but also delicious national cuisine.
