Albanian food, with some notable differences, is similar to much of the food in other Balkan countries.
The country’s cuisine is Mediterranean, with influences from Italian, Greek and Turkish cooking. The dishes make heavy use of what is seasonal and available, and nearly every Albanian recipe contains vegetables of some sort.
My 11 Favorite Albanian Foods
I’ll start this post the way most Albanians start their day: with coffee.
Albania has a serious coffee culture almost unlike anywhere else I’ve been. I would say Albanians take their coffee about as seriously as the Turkish do their tea. At all hours of the day, you can find Albanians sitting in cafes, sipping coffee and socializing.
And you can’t just quickly drink a cup and move on. You sit, you chat, and you do not rush or hurry. This is a huge part of Albanian culture and should be given due respect. And, at about .50 USD per cup, it’s no wonder why enjoying a cup is a popular way Albanians pass time.
One of my favorite finds during my time in Albania was pispili– Albanian cornbread with leeks.
I found this at a street food stall and had to try it. It’s delicious and quite filling. I wasn’t much in the mood for dinner later that night. I actually prefer it over the cornbread from back home- the leeks really make this dish. The best part- this only set me back about .40 USD
I know it sounds weird to recommend a salad, but trust me- this one is delicious.
Albania’s most popular summer salad is this simple tomato, cucumber, and cheese salad. It’s sometimes served with olives, sometimes with corn or onions, but always with cucumber, tomato and cheese.
You can dress your salad with olive oil, salt and pepper, and sometimes a squeeze or lemon or a bit of vinegar, but I prefer mine with only olive oil. When the ingredients are this fresh not much else is needed.
Before trying this salad, I didn’t really care for cucumber, but enjoying some version of this salad all summer has won me over.
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Kaçkavall (or kashkavall) can be found, in one way or another, all over the Balkans.
The term is often used generically to describe yellow cheese, but in this instance, it refers to pan-fried cheese. Definitely not the healthiest option on the menu, but one of the most delicious for sure.
The cheese is salty, and when fried, it’s melty and delicious and goes really well with beer!
You cannot talk about Albanian food without mentioning byrek (burek or börek).
Another dish you can find some version of all over the Balkans, byrek is baked filled pastry that can be filled with any number of ingredients. The dough is a thin, flaky phyllo dough.
In Albania, byrek is typically filled with spinach and cheese or minced meat. This very typical breakfast is often drank with ayran, a salty yogurt drink.
Byrek is very delicious, but to me it is a bit too oily for a breakfast food. Still, it is perhaps the most popular breakfast I saw locals enjoying.
If you want to try a very local dish but also only for adventurous eaters, paçe koke is a must try.
Paçe koke, pictured at the bottom of the above photo, is a soup made from meat of the head of a lamb or cow. Essentially, it’s Albanian head meat soup, and it’s delicious.
I tried it with a friend one morning, and while I happily finished my bowl, not only did he finish his own bowl by scraping off the leftovers with his bread, he also did the same with mine.
The soup reminds you of a stew your grandmother might make. The broth is thick and filling, and the fatty pieces of meat are perfectly tender.
These bowls were served with chili flakes and garlic oil, which apparently isn’t typical, but I found them to be welcome additions.
Don’t let the description put you off- this dish is actually delicious, so delicious that I had it several more times during my stay in the country.
In more touristic areas, I saw the soup for as much as $3 USD, but in neighborhood restaurants I tried it at a cost of $1 a bowl.
Qofte is one of my favorite local dishes, and I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve had it. These seasoned grilled meatballs are generally served with raw onion and bread.
Depending on where you try them, qofte can be made from lamb, pork, beef or some combination thereof. In Albania, the meatballs are usually a mixture of beef and lamb. These reminded me of mici, which I had when I was in Romania sampling Romanian food.
I liked ordering it with onion and fresh cheese and stuffing it inside some bread to make a sandwich. You can always tell when there’s a shop in the neighborhood serving qofte, because the smell of grilled meat will find you before you find it!
Speaking of bread, I love Albanian bread, or simite.
I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned bread in a food post before- that should tell you how good this is. Bread is usually just bread, but simite is something different.
On the inside, this bread is incredibly fluffy, but has an outer crust that is just chewy enough. It’s perfect for dipping or even for stuffing to make sandwiches.
We decided the mark of a good restaurant was whether the simite came to the table hot. The bread is immeasurably better when served hot.
You’re going to need something to dip your simite in, and salcë kosi is one of my favorite choices.
This dip is a strained yogurt that pairs perfectly with grilled köfte and hot bread.
Albanian mixed grill: Across Albania, one of the most popular meals is a big plate of mixed grilled meat, most commonly found at a zgara, or grill house.
You typically order a salad, some grilled vegetables and an assortment of dips and spreads with this meal, and everyone digs in family style.
This was one of my favorite ways to eat during my stay, because it allowed me to try many Albanian foods at once.
Finally, at the end of nearly every meal, you are typically served (oftentimes without being asked) a small glass of raki.
Raki is very similar, if not the same as rakia, which is found all over the Balkans.
Raki(a) is a fruit brandy drink with an alcohol content of 40%, though often homemade raki has a higher alcohol content, sometimes much higher.
The drink is also similar to the pálenka we enjoyed on our walking food tour of Budapest. It is made of fruits such as plums or grapes and is typically clear unless it’s been aged in wooden barrels.
While it goes down like fire, it’s a typical way to end an Albanian meal, and after a few times, you almost start to get used to it!
What looked best to you– which Albanian food do you most want to try? Let me know in the comments section below!
Wowww, I can’t believe how beautiful your photos are looking. And: this looks delish! Congrats on kicking so much butt. Miss ya!
These all look so delicious. I will admit I never really thought of food when I have read about traveling to Albania in the past. But that mixed grill looked absolutely incredible!
My father is Albanian and recently widowed. I often make for him the Albanian Burger called Qofte. We pronounce it choft. He is 93 years old and it still reminds him of his childhood. His parents are from Vodica, Albania. I remember the many wonderful Albanian customs they passed on to us. A few of my cousins can make spinach pie and cheese pie, but we are fighting over what it is called in Albanian. To me it sounded something like lacrue. Can anyone tell us the correct spelling and pronunciation? Thank you for this wonderful post about authentic Albanian food.
I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that but I wish I did. I may actually be back in Albania this summer so I hope to find out then!
You probably mean the word: ‘lakrua’, synonym of ‘lakror’ which is synomim to ‘byrek’. All the same thing. A lakrua is a very tasty piece of lakror.
The word you’re looking for is lakror
Lakror is Albanian pie usually made with leeks or spinach and ricotta
Lakror ose byrek.
Albania have to much dialects but as i understand you are tolking about LAKROR is really similar with BYREK ! Byrek is called in all albania can be in diferent forme and fillestar, Lektor is tipically Korca tradhton . The diferencë is on day of bakeing and LAKROR is more slim ishalla is one slide down filled and covering . Byrek can be with more .
I think you are looking for the word “ Lakror. It’s a type of Albanian pizza with bottom and top phyllo crust and filling in the middle. The fillings vary from cheese and seasonal veggies
It is called lakror (be sure to roll the R’s).
My mom taught me and I taught my daughters. We make our own fillo with just flour, water and a touch of salt. It is much better than the packaged variety because it absorbs the melted butter you put between each layer, so it isnt as greasy as noted here, but is absolutely delicious.
If you want to learn how there is a wonderful Albanian Cookbook sold by St. Mary’s Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church which also comes with a DVD so you can watch each step on the misty popular dishes. You should be able to contact the Womens Guild through the church website.
Hello Donna. I am Albania originally. It is so great to read about the good things Albania has to offer to numerous foddies now. The spinach pie you are talking about is called laknure or pite ose byrek. Well done for continuing to make this for your dad. God bless.
Also wanted to say thank you to Nathan for this well presented article. Good luck with your next foodie.
Esmeralda
I make BYREK all the time. Sometimes with spinach , feta cheese, eggs and yogurt… sometimes with onion, tomatoes and peppers and sometimes with ground beef or turkey. It’s delicious. I also make PETULLA , or fried dough. I love it.
Thx for the food highlights! As a development worker who lived in Albania for 4+ years and return every couple, you are right ON, I’d say, with few exceptions! Ask your grandfather or another relative about spece me geze; jufka; tave’; and various types of bean dishes (north and south –they are called and prepared differently.)
Hey the head soup — paci koke — is known for as a premier hangover cure! Haha, thought you might want to add that to your stories. (It’s really too oily for me in the morning; although I love byrek in the morning-or anytime! 😉 )
Hey, another cool addition to your blogs and stories would be tales of various raki’s… just saying 😉
Again, thx and good job! -Fuji from USA
Thanks for the great comment! I actually think byrek in the morning is greasier than packi koke! I can hardly have byrek in the mornings- it sits too heavy with me!
I love carbs. I can eat anything with bread if I can . Byrek it’s never to heavy for me. But hey, we like what we like
I love Albanian cuisine. These look delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your wonderful post and info. I’ve been in Albania for a few months and am a vegetarian, so in the meat-loving culture I’ve been living on the spinach and cheese byreks, usually for lunch, and sometimes if I”m out later, I’ll grab one for dinner. A meal in itself and comes to a whopping .46 cents, U.S. Love From beautiful Albania.
Yes, it’s meat heavy for sure but I eat meat so I was happy. I was impressed with the seafood as well. How’s the weather there now?
Great review, great photos. The food looks very appetizing! If hungry, it is better not to watch)))). Thanks for sharing!