Albanian cuisine

[1] The cooking traditions of the Albanian people are diverse in consequence of the environmental factors that are more importantly suitable for the cultivation of nearly every kind of herbs, vegetables, and fruits.

The people there use many kinds of ingredients that usually grow in the region, including potatoes, carrots, maize, beans, and cabbage, and also cherries, walnuts and almonds.

[11][12] Albanian cuisine is deeply rooted in the country's history, geography, and culture, reflecting its rich tapestry of influences and traditions.

Many foods that are common in the Mediterranean Basin, such as olives, wheat, chickpeas, dairy products, fish, fruits, and vegetables, are prominent in the Albanian cooking tradition.

Bread is common, served with butter, cheese, jam and yogurt, and accompanied with olives, coffee, milk, tea or raki.

Salads are typically served with meat dishes and are dressed with salt, olive oil, white vinegar or lemon juice.

[citation needed] Supper in Albania is a smaller meal, often consisting only of a variety of breads, meat, fresh fish or seafood, cheese, eggs and various kind of vegetables, similar to breakfast, or possibly sandwiches.

Due to the different climate and soil conditions across Albania, cultivars of cabbages, turnips, beetroots, beans, potatoes, leeks and mushrooms can be found in a rich variety.

Particularly used vegetables include onion, garlic, tomato, cucumber, carrot, pepper, spinach, lettuce, grape leaves, bean, eggplant and zucchini.

[19][20] Most commonly used herbs and other seasonings in Albanian cooking include artichoke, basil, chili pepper, cinnamon, coriander, lavender, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, thyme, bay, vanilla, saffron.

[citation needed] Dhallë is a traditional and healthy yogurt-based drink in Albania made by blending yogurt with water or milk and spices.

[citation needed] Boza is a malt drink made from maize (corn) and wheat which is widely consumed with desserts in Albania.

Petulla is a traditional fried dough made from wheat or buckwheat flour, which is as well a popular dish among the Albanians and served with powdered sugar or feta cheese and raspberry jam.

Ballokume is an Albanian cookie, which originated in Elbasan during the Middle Ages and prepared every year on Summer Day, a public holiday in the country.

[citation needed] Fruit jam, also known as reçel, is enjoyed all year in Albania and a major component of the Albanian cooking tradition.

[citation needed] Zupa is a popular dessert and assembled by alternating layers of cookies or sponge cake with pastry cream.

This dessert is made with milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and flavored with orange or lemon zest and cinnamon.

Kadaif is a pastry made from long thin noodle threads filled with walnuts or pistachios and sweetened with syrup; it is sometimes served alongside baklava.

Kabuni is a traditional cold-served Albanian dessert made of rice fried in butter, mutton broth, raisins, salt and caramelized sugar.

Pastashu is made from choux pastry, filled with a cream, vanilla, coffee or chocolate-flavoured custard and then topped usually with fondant icing.

It is believed that the popularity of Brazilian soap operas in Albania led local chefs to reverse-engineer the dessert and then the speciality spread over to Turkey.

[31] Popular appetizers in Albania includes wheat bread or cornbread, which remains one of the most important foods and are ever-present on the Albanian table.

Large white kidney beans (fasulle plaqi) are a typical appetizer or side dish, baked in an earthen pot with tomatoes, onions, peppermint, oregano, bay leaves and black pepper.

[citation needed] Other dishes include mëlci pule, eggplant appetizers, panaret which is famous among Arbëreshës, stuffed peppers composed of green peppers stuffed with rice, meat, other vegetables and herbs, turshi lakre, fried sardele me Limon, papare, which are bread leftovers cooked with water, egg, butter, and Gjizë (salted curd cheese) and bread and cheese referred as Bukë me djathë.

Popular seafood dishes include trout, calamari, octopus, cuttlefish, red mullet, sea bass, gilt-head bream and other.

[citation needed] Qebapa are small homemade grilled meat skinless sausages made of lamb and beef mix.

[citation needed] Qofte are fried meatballs, which are usually made of minced meat, herbs and spices and cooked with tomato sauce and vegetables or beans.

Lakror is a pie that has layers of dough thinner than a byrek and it is traditionally cooked on embers, covered with a metal semispherical lid.

[citation needed] Albanian cuisine falls within the category of the "Mediterranean diet," which includes a high consumption of seafood, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and olive oil; however, beef, veal, lamb, and pork are commonly consumed as well.

[39] It is believed that because of this diet Albania has a very high life expectancy when its economic power is compared to other countries, characterized by some researchers as the "Albanian paradox".