Albanian food owes its character to centuries of Ottoman influence, overlaid with Mediterranean ingredients and a strong pastoral tradition. It is honest, meat-heavy, and built around fresh local produce. It is also very cheap.
What to eat
Tavë kosi is the national dish: lamb baked with rice in a yoghurt and egg custard. Rich, warming, and better than it sounds. Fërgesë is a baked dish of peppers, tomatoes, and gjizë (fresh curd cheese), usually served bubbling in an earthenware pot. Both are found across the country.
Byrek — flaky filo pastry filled with spinach and feta, meat, or pumpkin — is the go-to street snack. Bakeries sell it from early morning. Qofte are charcoal-grilled meatballs, usually of lamb or beef, served with bread and salad; the smell from a good qofte stall is one of the reliable pleasures of Albanian travel.
On the coast, seafood is excellent and still comparatively cheap. Grilled fish, calamari, and mussels are all worth ordering. In Saranda and Himara, the fish is genuinely fresh.
Drinking
Raki (grape spirit, usually homemade) is the national drink and is offered freely in homes and many restaurants. Albanian wine has improved enormously and is worth trying — Kallmet (red, from the north) and Shesh i Bardhë (white) are the most common local varieties. Coffee culture is strong; Albanian espresso is good.
Where to eat
Outside Tirana, eating well is mostly a matter of finding where the locals eat — which is usually easy and cheap. In Tirana, the Blloku neighbourhood has the densest concentration of restaurants and bars, ranging from traditional Albanian to international.