Albanian Food: Must-Try Dishes from Albania
Albania Food: Must-Try Dishes from Albania was originally published in 2024
Albania is a foodie paradise, sat at the crux of delicious influences moving east to west. The cuisine of Albania is entirely its own, but do expect to see Mediterranean, Balkan, and Ottoman influences intertwined into its foods much like you will experience traveling across the diverse landscapes of Albania.
Albania has a wildly interesting history which can be savored through its rich cuisine as each dish tells a story of Albania’s diverse culture and undulating topography from mountain peaks to sea.
In this post, find a myriad of delicious Albanian foods to try as you plan your trip to what may be the most delicious country in Europe.
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Albanian Main Dishes:
Fërgesë
We opened the trip with fërgesë at ODA Restaurant in Tirana and it remained one of our absolute favorite Albanian dishes after traveling around the country last fall was fërgesë
Fërgesë is a traditional Albanian dish made from a blend of roasted peppers, tomatoes, onions, and gjizë (a sour Albanian rendition of cottage cheese).
The ingredients of fërgesë are cooked together until they form a creamy mixture, which you may see served as a side dish or a light main course.
Burek
A savory pastry filled with spinach, cheese, meat, or vegetables, burek is a staple dish in Albanian cuisine as well as the cuisines of its Balkan neighbors. Burek makes for the perfect snack but is also a common main dish.
We had too many delicious bureks to recount them all but the usual variety we had was spinach and gjizë. Another notable mention was the homemade pumpkin and onion burek we dug into at Kulla Guesthouse just over the border in Milishevc, Kosovo on our Peaks of the Balkans trek.
Tavë Kosi
Tavë Kosi is the national dish of Albania and consists of baked lamb with rice, eggs, and yogurt. It’s all whipped up in a tavë, a metal frying pan used in kitchens in the Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia, and India.
Due to the dish taking a portion of its name from its cooking vessel, you will find many variations of tavë, some using chicken or beef, while others being completely vegetarian.
Fli
Originating from Northern Albania and Kosovo, consisting of cream spread between layers of a thin, almost crepe-like, dough, Fli is a must-try Albanian food.
Full disclosure: we nearly ate our body weights in fli during our time in Albania.
Qofte
Albanian Qofte is like most qofte/kofte you will find in the Balkans, Middle East, Caucasus, and beyond. If you haven’t had it already, qofte are grilled or fried meatballs, often made with beef or lamb.
Paçe
A traditional meat soup, typically made from the head of a sheep or cow.
Speca të Mbushura
Ironically, despite having no genetic ties to Albania (albeit, I knew several Albanian families growing up), speca të mbushura is a dish I grew up eating.
Speca të mbushura are stuffed bell peppers with rice and spiced ground meat.
Jani me Fasule
An Albanian comfort food, especially during the colder months, jani me fasule is a hearty Albanian white bean soup.
To develop its rich, hearty flavor, jani me fasule is slow-cooked. Its main ingredients are white beans, onions, and tomatoes. Jani me fasule is usually flavored with bay leaves, garlic, and paprika.
Kukurec
Kukurec is a popular street food served in Albania as well as the greater Balkans, Turkey, and the Caucasus.
Typically, kukurec is made of spiced offal (organ meats) wrapped in lamb intestines and then skewered and grilled. They honestly look like big giant sausages from a distance.
Albanian Side Dishes, Snacks & Appetizers:
Qifqi
Hailing from the Gjirokastër region, Qifqi makes for an excellent snack or appetizer.
Qifqi are little rice balls mixed with egg, mint, and sometimes other herbs that are baked to golden perfection.
These are the best balls to put in your mouth.
Trahana
Trahana is an Eastern Mediterranean dish that is among the oldest foods in the world. A fermented grain soup, often made with yogurt.
Its origins were a result of an age-old problem that plagued the ancient world- how the heck do we preserve all this milk? Especially for winter.
People figured out that a great way to preserve milk was to mix it with ground-down grain and then dry it out for later use.
In the Albanian version of trahana, typically stale bread is mixed with yogurt and dried to be later added to hot water and made into a soup.
Petulla
Similar to doughnuts, baursok, or fritters, petulla is Albania’s version of this tasty snack, consisting of fried dough, and popularly served with breakfast.
Petulla can be served savory or sweet so you may see them with cheese, jam, honey, or sugar.
Tarator
Cold soup lovers will rejoice, others may despise it (I for one, am one of the okroshka-loving cold soup fans). Tarator i a tangy cold yogurt-based soup with cucumbers, garlic, and dill, akin to tzatziki but better in my opinion.
Gjizë
Gjizë is an Albanian dry curded cheese made from yogurt and citric acid. It’s quite similar to ricotta or cottage cheese but with a sour tang.
You will commonly find Gjizë used in many Albanian dishes such as a filling in byrek, in fërgesë, or as a side dish.
Lakror
Lakror hails from southeastern Albania and is a flat pie dish similar to burek, filled with minced veggies such as cabbage, spinach, nettle, onion, or leeks. On occasion, Lakror may have a meat filling.
Kaçkavall
Kaçkavall is delicious mild yellow cheese, often served as an appetizer in Albania. Of course, you will find kaçkavall in nearby countries too.
Hashure
Serving as a is a symbol of unity, hashure is a dish commonly served in Albania during religious holidays and cultural festivals. Hashure is a grain pudding, usually of wheat but sometimes rice or barley.
To zhuzh it up, hashure is usually found spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and garnished with fruit and nuts.
Kos
Kos is simply, yogurt, a staple in Albanian cuisine.
Albanian Desserts:
Baklava
One of my favorite desserts of all time: baklava. Albania is known for its baklava (even my Albanian coworker back home’s Mom used to send him to work with a fresh pan of baklava to share).
If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t had it, baklava is comprised of layers of filo dough filled with nuts and drenched in syrup. I’m not going to go into details beyond this on it- just order it if you see it.
Kadaif
Kadaif looks like thin noodles but is actually shredded filo dough. In Albania, kadaif is soaked in sweet syrup, often with nuts.
That said, in other parts of the East Mediterranean and the Middle East, you will find kadaif as part of the famous dessert of khunafe.
Revani
Revani actually came from Egypt originally, where it is called babousa, but made its way to Albania thanks to the Ottomans. Originally, it was a semolina cake soaked in sweet syrup but the Albanian version of revani is made from flour rather than semolina.
Shëndetlie
Shëndetlie is a honey cake filled with walnuts and drenched in syrup.
Ballokume
Originally from Elbasan, ballokume are a type of butter cookie, traditionally made during the summer festival of Dita e Verës.
Tullumba
Looking suspiciously like a churro, these little desserts are equally as tasty but expect them to be soaked in syrup like most desserts in Albania.
Albanian Beverages:
Raki
You’ll see raki sold all across Albania and its Balkan neighbors. It’s essentially a strong alcoholic drink similar to Italian grappa made from grapes or plums.
Not all raki is created equally either, some will knock you on your arse, while others make for fine sipping. In my experience, the best raki comes in an old used Coca-Cola bottle sold on the side of the street by someone’s nan.
Boza
With origins in Central Asia, boza is among the oldest of Turkic beverages that eventually made its way to Albania. Boza is a traditional fermented drink made from maize or wheat.
Kafe Turke
The thick sludge known as Turkish coffee, is wildly popular in Albania which should be no surprise if you know even a hint of Albanian history (see: Ottoman Empire, if you’re daft on the topic).
Dhallë
Dhallë is a yogurt-based drink, similar to Turkish ayran or Afghan doogh.
Albanian Wine
Albania is home to some fabulous wineries scattered about the country. As what was said about Raki, you can stumble across some great Albanian wine being sold by someone’s grandparents in used plastic bottles.
Have any questions about the cuisine of Albania?
Ask in the comments section below.
