After I moved to Albania, one of the adjustments I had to make was adapting to the different kinds of flavours, ways of cooking, and of course, ways of eating. Albanians love their food and with the Albanian palette, simplicity is key- bread, olives, oils, cheese, meat and tomatoes are found on dinner plates across the country.
But some of it took some getting used to. The first time I tried Tava e Kosit- meat cooked in yoghurt- I was terrified at the thought of a dessert with lamb. With my Italian background and my genetic strong opinions on food, I found myself very challenged. Us Italians cook well, but we tend to believe that it is the only way.
I soon learned that I would be missing out if I didn’t experiment, and now I am proud to say I can cook a range of Albanian dishes.
Being an expat, missing the comforts of home, including food is normal. I needed to remember that Albania was coming out hard time where people were, and maybe still are, facing poverty and struggles every day.
I really wanted to live like Albanians do, to understand, to feel, enjoy, even suffer, if necessary. So, I tried everything people offered to me.
My adventurous nature didn’t always work out however, and sometimes the results were not good. But one thing I liked was the fact that even those who did not have much to share, were happy to share with me.
Friends invited me over for dinner. There was a long table with a brilliant, white, table cloth, and a number of plates bursting with meze type foods. Fresh cucumber, cheese, meat, egg, pickled vegetables- and this was just for starters! Then came the meat- chicken and pilaf, and of course, piles of byrek to accompany it.
It was the one time I tried to eat almost everything that was put in front of me, thinking that it would make the housewife happy to see me fit to burst. The problem was that when our plates were finally empty, the host thought we did not have enough!
Minutes later she appeared with a big pot of overcooked pasta- I imagine, in honour of my origin. I was full to the brim, but it was impossible not to eat it due to the insistence of the host. I ate it all but left feeling overfull, and a little bit sick.
Each time I changed the way to see things. Food was a great way of understanding new people and places. New flavors and smells, new little pleasures helped to open up my heart. As you wolf down the food, you start to swallow what you do not understand, what do not like or even things you might hate. Slowly eating with people is the best way to understand the way they think, the way they share, the way they live. You may start to enjoy…and suddenly start to eat and live like them.
So, slowly slowly I changed. Now, I enjoy eating tomatoes like was an apple, or fresh onions with cheese. And I’m not talking only about food, it is a way to live, it is a deep thought behind, is another way to see the world. Without so many rules and manners, it is sincere and cruel way of being.
If you are lucky enough to visit Albania and after you have finished your sightseeing, be sure to set aside time to enjoy the company of the locals. Do not try to avoid what you initially do not like- stay if they invite you, eat what they give you, and I promise, you won’t be the same again!
Guest post authored by Noa on The Balkanista.
