An Albanian Food Tour

Everything I ate on a recent road trip

Sabrina, 

Thank you for all the recommendations of queer food creators! I’ve been browsing their content and loving them all. I can’t wait to make Mayak Eggs. And, Edy’s tahini chocolate tart is really calling to me.

Last month I spent a week road tripping in Albania with our good pal Paxton, seeing many beautiful things (the Accursed Mountains, Roman ruins, the seaside…). But, of course, the true highlight was the food. 

The first thing that struck me was how fresh everything was – I had endless salads and pickled vegetables and sliced fruit. I bought maybe the best melon of my life at a gas station, and we snacked on Persian sour plums that someone gave us from their tree. 

A bowl of perfect summer tomatoes, surrounded by other vegetables (marinated eggplant, summer squash, and green beans).

The second thing that struck me was how many different food cultures come together in Albanian cuisine. In the past few centuries Albania has had influences from Illyrian, Roman, and Ottoman cultures (and many more!). I immediately noticed a Greek influence. They have chopped salads with tomatoes, olives and cucumber, bakeries full of baklavas, and hunks of salty feta-like cheese.

A platter of fresh Albanian cheeses (including one marinated in red wine), cured meat, and tiny figs in spiced honey.

There is also a noticeable Turkish influence. There’s an Albanian version of kofte, lots of grilled meat and shish kebabs, and boreks filled with meat, cheese, or spinach.

There were also foods I couldn’t quite place – for example, I had a spinach pie that was reminiscent of a spanakopita, but instead of phyllo it had a cornmeal dough. 

A selection of byreks from one of the many bakeries that sell them.

I want you to try all of this, so I have found a New York Albanian restaurant for you. It’s called Cka Ka Qullue – please report back if you go. 

A few foods you should try

• Domate Turshi

  • Pickled green tomatoes – they’re sour, salty, and crunchy. The perfect snack for a picklehead like you. Here’s a recipe that looks tasty.

• Lakror 

  • A slab pie with a cornmeal base and top, filled with spinach or leeks. Kind of like American cornbread meets spanakopita.  

• Qofte me qepe

  • Lamb meatballs in tomato sauce. These were smaller and more meatball-like than Turkish kofte I have tried. The meatballs were fluffy and light, swimming in an onion-y tomato sauce.

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A running letter between long distance friends who love to eat

Do you miss your best friend? Are really hungry you right now? If the answer to either of these is yes, you know what to do.