Albanian cuisine

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Albanian cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of the Mediterranean. It is also an example of the Mediterranean diet based on the importance of olive oil, fruits, vegetables and fish.[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.[2] Olive oil is the most ancient and commonly used vegetable fat in Albanian cooking, produced since antiquity throughout the country particularly along the coasts.[3][4][5][6][7]

Hospitality is a fundamental custom of Albanian society and serving food is integral to the hosting of guests and visitors. It is not infrequent for visitors to be invited to eat and drink with locals. The medieval Albanian code of honor, called besa, resulted to look after guests and strangers as an act of recognition and gratitude.[8]

Albanian cuisine can be divided into three major regional cuisines.[9] The cuisine of the northern region has a rural, coastal and mountainous origin. Meat, fish and vegetables are central to the cuisine of the northern region. 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. Garlic and onions are as well important components to the local cuisine and added to almost every dish.

The cuisine of the central region is threefold of rural, mountainous and coastal. The central region is the flattest and rich in vegetation and biodiversity as well as culinary specialties. It has Mediterranean characteristics due to its proximity to the sea, which is rich in fish. Dishes here include several meat specialties and desserts of all kinds.

In the south, the cuisine is composed of two components: the rural products of the field including dairy products, citrus fruits and olive oil, and coastal products, i.e. seafood. Those regions are particularly conducive to raising animals, as pastures and feed resources are abundant.

Besides garlic, onions are arguably the country's most widely used ingredient.[10] Albania is ranked fifth in the world in terms of onion consumption per capita.[11][12]

  1. ^ Mediterranean Diet: Dietary Guidelines and Impact on Health and Disease (Donato F. Romagnolo, Ornella I. Selmin ed.). Humana Press, 2016. 2016-02-29. p. 47. ISBN 9783319279695.
  2. ^ L. Maggioni, European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (2006). Report of a Working Group on Prunus: Sixth Meeting, 20-21 June, 2003, Budapest, Hungary : Seventh Meeting, 1-3 December 2005, Larnaca, Cyprus. Bioversity International. pp. 29–32. ISBN 9789290437321.
  3. ^ S. Velo; D. Topi. "The Production Potential of the Olive Oil from Native Cultivars in Albania" (PDF). ijoer.com. Tirana.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "THE OLIVE AND OLIVE OIL VALUE CHAIN IN ALBANIA" (PDF). eastagri.org. pp. 38–39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  5. ^ "Consumer Preferences for Olive Oil in Tirana, Albania" (PDF). ifama.org. pp. 2–3.
  6. ^ "Assessing the Comparative Advantage of Albanian Olive Oil Production" (PDF). ageconsearch.umn.edu. pp. 2–3.
  7. ^ "Olive and Olive Oil in Albania, From Antiquity Until the Middle Ages" (PDF). anglisticum.org.mk. Tirana. pp. 1–12.
  8. ^ Mirjona SADIKU. "Page 1 A Tradition of Honor, Hospitality and Blood Feuds: Exploring the Kanun Customary Law inContemporary Albania" (PDF). js.ugd.edu.mk. pp. 11–14. Archived from the original on 2017-07-05.
  9. ^ "Traditional Food of Albania". albaniainside.com. Albanian cuisine can be nominally divided into three regions
  10. ^ Martha Jay (2016-06-15). Onions and Garlic: A Global History. Reaktion Books, 2016. ISBN 9781780236209.
  11. ^ "Onion Consumption Per Capita by Country". helgilibrary.com.
  12. ^ agroweb. "Red Onions vs White Onions, Which One's Healthier?". agroweb.org. Tirana. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2017-12-17.