Albania: 195 Country Cooking Challenge

Mackenzie DeArment
Sep 18, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Sep 20, 2024

Welcome to the fifth country of the 195 Country Cooking Challenge - where I cook a popular dish from all 195 countries around the world! If you missed the first four countries, you can check those out on my blog as well as my YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Along the journey, I will be sharing these recipes with you plus some interesting facts about each country. My goal is to teach you a bit about each country while you eat or cook their cuisine! Today, I will be cooking the national dish of Albania.

The National Dish of Albania

For this country, I will be making Albania's official national dish...Tavë kosi! Tavë kosi is a casserole that has lamb, rice, yogurt and eggs. The story of how this dish originated is very fascinating.

Tavë kosi originated in the 15th century when the cook for Sultan Mehmet II put cooked lamb in a kos (sheep or goats milk yogurt). The cook did this to preserve the lamb, but after trying to remove the lamb to cook it again, he realized the lamb was stuck. Instead of giving up on this lamb, the cook baked the lamb in the kos. It turns out Sultan Mehmet II LOVED IT! Once everyone heard about this new dish, it grew in popularity and spread throughout Albania and the Ottoman Empire. Tavë kosi is even popular today in Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Turkey.

Although Tavë kosi was originally made with kos, the modern version is generally made with Greek yogurt and eggs as the substitute.

You can definitely make this dish at home, but I would recommend doing it on a weekend! I will go through the recipe below, but if you would like a more streamlined approach, you can check out the official recipe here.

Facts About Albania

What is it about this country that makes it so unique?

In the 2nd century BCE, the Romans conquered Illyria, incorporating it into their empire. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century CE, the area was subsequently influenced by the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Empire began its rule over the region in the late 14th century. For over four centuries, Albania was part of the Ottoman realm, which significantly impacted its culture, religion, and societal structure. The struggle for national identity and independence grew stronger during this time, culminating in the Albanian Declaration of Independence on November 28, 1912.

Following independence, Albania faced political instability and territorial disputes. It was briefly a monarchy before becoming a communist state under Enver Hoxha in 1946. Hoxha's regime was known for its isolationist policies and stringent control over society, lasting until his death in 1985.

The flag of Albania is red and black. The flag also has a double-headed eagle. Red symbolizes the bravery, strength, valor, and bloodshed. The black double-headed eagle represents vigilance and the protection of Albania's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Albania is 11,100 square miles of land. The most popular jobs in the country are in agriculture, which employs around 58% of the workforce. Key crops include tobacco, corn and wheat. One of the most popular landmarks in Albania is the Durrës Amphitheatre which was built in the 2nd century AD and is the largest Roman amphitheater in the Balkans.

The official language of Albania is Albanian, with approximately 98% of the population speaking it as their first language. The most common religion in Albania is Islam with Christianity being the second.

Cooking the Most Popular Meal in Albania

Ingredients:

1 pound lamb (boneless)
5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup rice
1 tablespoon oregano
4 cloves garlic
3 cups Greek yogurt
6 eggs
3 tablespoons flour

Steps:

Step 1:

Cut lamb into bite-sized pieces. Add 1.5 tablespoons butter and olive oil to a large pot. Add lamb and cook on medium heat until browned.

Step 2:

Mince the garlic. After lamb is browned, add garlic, oregano, some salt and pepper, and 3 cups of water. Mix well then cover with lid. Leave to simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a bit more water if needed.

Step 3:

Add 3/4 cups water and the rice to the pot. Mix and cover with a lid. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, but check the rice around 8 minutes to make sure it needs the extra time. At the end of the 10 minutes, there should only be a thin oily layer on the lamb and rice.

Step 4:

Put the lamb and rice mixture into a casserole dish. The mixture should cover the bottom, but about 2 inches should be left above it for the yogurt topping.

Step 5:

Make a roux by adding remaining 3.5 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and slowly mixing in flour. Mixture should not be runny, but also not clumpy. Set aside when done.

Step 6:

In a mixing bowl, add the yogurt and eggs. Season with some salt and pepper. Add the roux and mix well until the ingredients are combined.

Step 7:

Pour yogurt mixture over the lamb and rice in the casserole dish and top with some oregano.

Step 8:

Bake on 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Then increase temperature to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. The casserole is done when the yogurt mixture rises and begins to brown. Check often to be sure it does not burn (do this by looking through the glass and NOT by opening the oven)...looking isn't cooking!

Step 9:

Once the casserole is done, take it out of the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!