Culture


Religions

Albania has three religions: Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, and Islam. One can estimate today that approximately 70 percent of Albanians in the republic are of Muslim; about 20 percent, mostly in the south, are Orthodox; and about 10 percent, mostly in the north, are Catholic. In 1967, all religious communities were dissolved when a communist government edict banned the public practice of religion. The law was rescinded only in December 1990 during the collapse of the regime. Albanians have never had a national religion with which to identify as a people. For the last century and a half, national (ethnic) identity has predominated over religious identity, and this is unlikely to change in the coming years in a small and struggling nation surrounded by hostile neighbors. Organized religion still plays only a marginal role in public life. Religious fervor is extremely rare, and religious extremism is virtually unknown.

Language

The official language of Albania, Albanian, is one of the oldest languages in Europe. The language belongs to the Indo-European language group and is known as difficult in terms of grammar and word structure. Besides Albanian also Greek and Macedonian is spoken. Most Albanians speak also Italian and English.

Food and drink

The cuisine of Albania is uniquely influenced by Turkish, Greek, and Italian cuisines. Every region in Albania has its own unique dishes. Albanian cuisine is characterized by the use of various Mediterranean herbs such as Oregano, Black Pepper, Mint, Basil, Rosemary and more in cooking meat and fish. Olive oil and butter is also a main ingredient in different dishes.

In Albania, meat (lamb, pork, cow, rabbit and chicken) is used heavily in various dishes in most of the country. Seafood specialties are also common in the coastal areas such as Durrës, Vlorë, Shkoder, Lezhe and Sarandë.

Vegetables are used in almost every dish. Usually, Albanian farmers grow every vegetable present in the Mediterranean region and sell them at the local Farmers Market. Vegetables are brought fresh at the Farmers Market early in the morning and this market is opened everyday.

The main meal of the Albanians is lunch.

Some traditional dishes:

  • Dollma - family of stuffed vegetable dish.
  • Tarator - a cold soup made of  yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, walnuts, dill, vegetable oil.
  • Trahana - dried food based on a fermented mixture of grain and yoghurt or fermented milk, usually made into a thick soup with water, milk .
  • Tave kosi - a simple dish of baked lamb and rice, served with a yogurt sauce.
  • Byrek - a pastries made of a thin flaky dough filled with cheese, minced meat, or vegetables.
  • Bakllava - is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup.

Some traditional drinks:

  • Kos - is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. It is similar to the yogurt.
  • Caj mali - Mountain tea, flowering plants well known for their medicinal properties.
  • Boza - fermented beverage. It is a malt drink, made from corn and wheat.
  • Raki - is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by distillation of fermented fruit. Common flavors are plums, grapes, blackberries.