Fërgesë, byrek and tavë kosi: the Albanian table, the back story

About Fërgesë, byrek and tavë kosi: the Albanian table, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Tirana Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Albania eats from its own fields, hills and coast. Vegetables come from village gardens, cheese and yoghurt from mountain flocks, olive oil from the south, and the cooking is simple and full of flavour. Tirana is where every region’s dishes meet.

Fërgesë

Fërgesë is Tirana’s own dish: green and red peppers and tomatoes cooked down with gjizë, a fresh cottage cheese, and baked in a clay dish until bubbling. There is also a version with liver or meat. Eat it hot with bread; it is comforting, rich and very much a taste of the capital.

Byrek

Byrek is the everyday pastry of Albania: layers of thin dough filled with cheese, spinach, leeks, tomatoes and onions or minced meat, baked in large round trays and sold by the slice from bakeries across the city. In the morning it comes with a glass of yoghurt or dhallë, a salty yoghurt drink.

In Albania, lunch can easily last until it is time for coffee.

Tavë kosi

From Elbasan, an hour east of Tirana, comes tavë kosi, Albania’s best-known dish: lamb baked with rice under a thick layer of yoghurt and eggs that sets into a golden, slightly tangy crust. You will see it on menus everywhere as tavë Elbasani.

Grills and meze

Albanians love a grill: qofte (small grilled meatballs), lamb and kidneys cooked over charcoal, with salads of tomato, cucumber and onion, white cheese, olives and pickled peppers. In the south, fish and seafood take over; in the north, slow-cooked mountain dishes and corn bread.

Raki and wine

A meal often begins with raki, the clear grape brandy, sometimes made from mulberries or plums, sipped slowly with meze. Albania also makes wine from native grapes such as Kallmet in the north and Shesh i Zi and Shesh i Bardhë in the centre of the country.

Our advice: order fërgesë and tavë kosi at least once, start a morning with byrek and yoghurt from a neighbourhood bakery, and book one dinner at a restaurant that cooks with Albanian produce, such as Mullixhiu. Ask what is in season: the menu changes with the market.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Fërgesë, byrek and tavë kosi: the Albanian table, the back story before you go.