Food in Albania

Albania’s food is based very heavily on meat- particularly lamb and beef- and cooked in a typically Middle Eastern style. The main influence of Albanian cuisine is that of Turkey- among the most common dishes in Albania are romsteak (patties made of minced meat), qofte (meat balls) and shishqebap (sheesh kababs). A number of other meat-based dishes are also popular; these include rosto me salcë kosi (roast beef with sour cream), fërges (beef stew), and çonlek (a meat stew with onions). The country grows a lot of olives, citrus fruits and grapes, and all appear prominently in local menus.

The country produces, like every other Mediterranean land, lots of wine- white and reds, the former’s usually better than the latter; in addition, there are fruit liqueurs of different types, uzo - an aniseed-flavoured liqueur, and brandies locally called konjak and raki. Albania is also known for its coffee- the strong kafe turke and the milder kafe ekspres (espresso).