Albania

Tavë kosi

Baked lamb and rice smothered in tangy, garlicky yogurt sauce, golden and irresistible.

Byrek

Flaky phyllo pastry stuffed with cheese, spinach, or meat, crisp and savory.

Fërgesë

Sizzling peppers, tomatoes, and cheese melted into a rich, smoky vegetable stew.

Qofte

Juicy grilled meatballs seasoned with herbs, charred outside and tender within.

Tavë Elbasani

Elbasan-style lamb baked in creamy egg-yogurt sauce, comforting and hearty.

Paçe

Slow-simmered tripe or lamb head soup, rustic and deeply nourishing.

Speca të mbushura

Peppers stuffed with rice, herbs and minced meat, baked in tomato and oil.

Japrak

Vine leaves rolled around rice and meat, served under yoghurt.

Peshk në zgarë

Whole Adriatic fish grilled over coals with lemon, oil and nothing else.

Qifqi

Gjirokastër rice balls bound with egg and mint, fried in a dimpled pan.

Jani me fasule

White bean stew with onion and paprika, the everyday Lenten and winter dish.

Petulla

Fried dough pieces eaten hot with feta, honey or jam at breakfast.

Bakllava

Layers of crisp pastry, walnuts, and honeyed syrup in sweet harmony.

Kadaif

Shredded pastry with walnut, syruped heavily and cut into small squares.

Trileçe

Three-milk sponge under burnt caramel, a recent arrival now served everywhere.

Djathë i bardhë

White brined sheep's cheese, sliced onto everything from breakfast to raki.

Raki

Potent, fragrant fruit brandy sipped as a warming toast to hospitality.

Boza

Thick fermented maize drink, faintly sour and sweet, sold from small shops.

Dhallë

Salted diluted yoghurt drunk cold with grilled meat.

Kafe turke

Coffee boiled in a long-handled pot, served with a glass of water and no hurry.