Albanian cuisine remains a mystery to many travelers as the country is not yet a popular tourist destination. If you plan to travel around the country, then in each region you will discover something new, interesting and unusual (first of all, this applies to food, and only then to sights and nature).
Albanian cuisine is little known outside the country, so everything you find on the menu of local cafes and restaurants will be new and unusual for you. The menu in English is not duplicated, so if you have questions about a particular dish, it is better to immediately discuss all the points with the waiters (many of them speak English well).
Fegese is one of the most popular and widespread dishes. Its main ingredients are peeled tomatoes, red and green peppers, cottage cheese, onions and various spices. All these components are baked until a thick consistency consisting of pieces of vegetables is obtained. Despite the fact that the dish is hearty, it is often served as an appetizer with bread (for dipping). Usually one serving is enough for two. The cost of a serving of this dish rarely exceeds 2-2.5 dollars.
In Albania, meat dishes are held in high esteem, especially veal and lamb. Among them is Tave Kosi. It is prepared by pouring yogurt, an egg, after which it is baked and served in earthenware. The result is something similar to a meat pie, but the meat is very juicy and tender. This is one of the most popular dishes in the country and for a large portion of this goodies you will have to pay only about four dollars.
If you are not a big fan of meat dishes, then you may like the vegetarian dish Speca me Gjize. It is based on orange, yellow or red peppers, which are stuffed with cottage cheese, rice and various spices, and then baked in the oven. The result is very beautiful, tasty, satisfying and inexpensive (a portion of such a dish will cost only two dollars).
Albania is washed by the Ionian and Mediterranean Seas, so fish and seafood are an integral part of the local cuisine. Coastal cafes offer a very large selection of such dishes and they are usually prepared only from fresh products, not frozen ones. I don’t know why, but as in most other maritime countries, seafood and fish dishes are more expensive than meat dishes, although in Albania even these products are moderately priced.
They know a lot about desserts in Albania. The traditional Albanian dessert is called Shendetli. For its preparation, simple, uncomplicated ingredients are used, but at the same time an unusual taste is obtained. In the traditional version, the dessert is made from sugar, soda, flour, eggs (honey and walnuts are often added). After baking, the dessert is poured with hot syrup of water and vanilla sugar, after which it is stopped overnight for soaking. A piece of this delicacy will cost approximately one dollar.
From non-alcoholic drinks, I advise you to turn to the traditional drink for all Balkan countries, which is called bosu, only in the Albanian version, the distinguishing feature of this drink is that it contains absolutely no alcohol. To prepare this drink I use water, sugar, corn and wheat flour. The result is a slightly foamy and illuminating drink that is a lot like soda. At one time it was the most popular drink in the country, but now the traditions of its preparation are forgotten, but if you look, you can find it (especially in the north of the country). In addition to the fact that the drink is useful, it also has a number of useful properties, especially beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.
Albanians are very fond of tea, especially mountain tea, which is called “mali tea”. This tea is divided into southern and northern. When ordering this tea, this question must be clarified, since the northern one is bitter and not everyone will like it, but the southern one has a pleasant, delicate taste and can be drunk even without sugar. If you don’t like local tea, then in any cafe you can order ordinary loose or bagged tea.