Food Glossary of Albania
Corba: soup made with rice and flavored with lemon, sometimes containing chicken or chicken livers.
Dolma Me Vaj: rice and pine nuts (sometimes with ground lamb), seasoned with mint or cinnamon, and used as a stuffing for a variety of vegetables (e.g., peppers, tomatoes, zucchini), and oven-baked.
Dukagjin: beverage of grape juice flavored with sugar and mustard.
Ematur: cake made with almonds, cut into diamond-shaped wedges.
Hardic: a drink made from wild berries.
Kabuni: a sweet dish made with raisins, cinnamon, and rice. Used as a side dish.
Kafee: coffee; almost always refers to Turkish coffee.
Kos: Albanian yogurt made from goat’s or ewe’s milk.
Kungull: squash.
Kungull Me Kos: pieces of squash, batter-dipped and deep-fried then served with a garlic yogurt sauce.
Lakruar: a type of pizza made with vegetables, well seasoned and topped with cheese.
Meze: appetizers.
Moussaka: a baked casserole of layered vegetables, or vegetables and meats (classic version is eggplant and ground lamb). Of Greek origin.
Orme: an appetizer drink made from fermented cabbage, similar to the juice from sauerkraut.
Pelte: little cakes made with cornstarch and molasses, flavored with lemon.
Pilaf: a dish based on rice, which may include only nuts, raisins, and cinnamon, or almost any variety of vegetable, meats, and legumes. Of Turkish origin.
Quofte: meatballs.
Quofte Me Mente: meatballs made from ground lamb, fragrant with mint and cinnamon.
Raki: brandy distilled from grapes.
Raki Manash: brandy distilled and flavored with mulberries.
Revani Me Kos: simple sponge or nut cake finished by pouring hot, spiced syrup over, then cooling and cutting into diamond shapes.
Sille: afternoon refreshment, which may be either tea or Turkish coffee, sometimes served with fresh fruits or sweet pastries.
Supa Ves Limua: a rich soup based on chicken stock with rice, and tangy with freshly beaten eggs and lemon juice. Almost identical to the Greek Avgolemono.
Tarator: chilled refreshing soup of yogurt, with chopped cucumbers or other fresh vegetables as garnish.
Terituar: a finely chopped salad or pureed appetizer of cucumbers, walnuts, and garlic.