Eating Good in Albania

My 93-year-old mother, who loves to cook, often says, “Nothing I make tastes like my mother use to make.” I agree with her but didn’t realize how much our ingredients had changed in flavor until I visited Albania. The Albanian government’s isolationist policy kept Albania a rural county where little had changed in 50 years. When I visited in 2009, with a democratic government in place, things were changing. There were a few new hotels and roads were being upgraded. After touring the capital of Tirana and the nearby pretty, hillside city of Kruja, John and I, took the bus from Tirana to Berat, less than three hours away. Berat, one of Albania’s oldest cities, was named to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2009. It is called “The White City” or “The City of 1000 Eyes” because of the tiers of white houses that line the hillside below the citadel. We toured the citadel – we were the only tourists. Located at a strategic point it has wonderful views of the area. It was first fortified in the 4th century BC.

Our guide in Tirana had told us that the best food in Berat was at the Mangalemi Hotel Restaurant. We stayed at the Castle Hotel high on the hill about the city but the Mangalemi Hotel has nice rooms. We did enjoy eating at their restaurant. I ordered one of my favorite meals, stuffed peppers. The first bite caused a flavor burst from the past. “Oh, my, this tastes just like my mother and grandmother use to make.” Valter Mio, the owner chuckled and explained, “We were organic before organic was popular. Our country was so poor we couldn’t afford to import pesticides, fertilizers, or fancy engineered seeds.” I asked him to give our compliments to the cook, who turned out to be his mother, Violeta. We were invited into the kitchen to meet her. Violeta was busy cooking but willing to share her recipes as she continued to work. While she was washing spinach for a dish she was planning to make she explained that her recipes were ones she had learned from her mother who, in turn, had learned them from her mother. My favorite was the stuffed peppers but John preferred the Yogurt Lamb and we both enjoyed Violeta’s baklava for dessert. Lamb is one of those foods that people either love or dislike. This is a great recipe that cuts through some of the distinct lamb taste that some object to.

Yogurt Lamb (serves four)
1.5 lbs of boneless lamb
4 ounces butter
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons rice
4 ounces of boiling water
32 ounces yogurt
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of flour

Cut the lamb into 1-inch pieces. Put lamb in a roasting pan with half of the quantity of butter, salt and pepper. Roast at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Roasting will not be complete. Remove from the oven and add rice and boiling water. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. In a bowl mix yogurt, eggs and flour until a uniform color. Mix in the rest of the butter. Add the yogurt mixture to the roasting pan. Mix well with the pieces of meat and rice and put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until top is brown.

Albania is Open for Tourism

Years ago we wanted to visit Albania but until the 1990s Albania was a closed country making it nearly impossible for people to visit. Today it welcomes tourists. The airport is new and passing through passport control was smooth, quick, and friendly.

We had arranged with OurExplorer.com for a guide in Tirana, the capital city. We met our guide, Martin, on the steps of the Opera in Skanderbeg Square and toured the main part of the city. Skanderbeg, whose statue dominates the main square, was responsible for keeping the Ottoman Empire from expanding into Europe. In the afternoon we went by minivan to Kruja, a pretty town an hour from Tirana. The Ethnographic Museum located in an old house depicts how people lived 100 years ago, and some still do. The working area on the bottom level is where the animals were kept, olives were pressed, and other work was done. The next level had separate social areas for the men and women. Nearby was a beautiful new museum devoted to Skanderbeg. It was surprising to learn how important he was and that we had never heard of him. People around the world are so familiar with American history and politics that I often feel like an ignoramus in other countries. We saw signs that said “I Love Obama” and American flags on the buses and elsewhere. Surprisingly, on a display of various cities in the world that have erected statues to Skanderbeg was a picture of the newest one – in Rochester Hills, Michigan, unveiled in 2006. Before heading back to Tirana we wandered through the bazaar which offered local handicrafts such as felt hats, carpets, and antiques. It was a nice change from souvenir shops that sell items that could be purchased anywhere in the world or items made in China.

From Tirana we took a three-hour bus ride to Berat, one of the oldest cities in Albania with layers of white houses ascending the hillsides giving it the name “The City of a Thousand Windows.” The valley has been inhabited for over 4000 years. It was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. It turned out that Martin, our guide in Tirana, was also in Berat so he hooked us up with Flatura, which means butterfly, to give us a tour of the castle. Flatura guided us through the cobbled streets past houses that are still occupied. Castle does not really describe the area as it is actually a medieval city with wonderful views of the area. It was first fortified in the 4th century BC.

From Berat we took a bus to the Oaz Hotel on the Adriatic Coast. It was mid-September and the season was coming to a close so we were the only people at the hotel. The sky was blue, the sun was warm, and the pool was lovely which was great because the beach did not invite close inspections. Litter is a problem in Albania. Considering how far they have come in a decade I am sure litter is an issue that they will resolve but now they are busy building roads and improving infrastructure.

The country is very safe which is amazing because there are hundreds of thousands of bunkers built in the 70s giving testament that it wasn’t always that way. Today Albania is a friendly, inexpensive, and interesting destination.