It’s nearly impossible to read about the traditional dishes of the Dibra region without having an urgent need to try all of them! Some of these region’s famous dishes include: the rich chicken and porridge casserole, the well-known jufka (thin, heavily-buttered pasta) cooked with fresh, local chicken or lamb, the traditional meat or veggie-filled baked pie called byrek, fresh peppers stuffed with gjizë (Albania’s own salty and buttery cottage cheese), and many other dishes cooked with organic products, following recipes which have been perfected through years of being passed on from one generation to the next.

Jufka with chicken

Jufka with chicken is a simple, healthy and delicious meal. This traditional dish of the northeastern region of Albania is one which families have enjoyed eating and serving guests for quite some time. People from the Dibra region are immensely proud of this particular dish, one of many delicious contributions this region has given Albanian gastronomy. With the lightness of angel hair pasta and consistency of tagliatele, jufka is sure to be loved by everyone on the table. Usually served with meat, the recipe here joins jufka with farm-fresh chicken to make a simple dish that is ready in less than an hour. For the recipe click here.

Photo source: pinterest.com/flutragrecagmai/

A typical dinner in Dibër is chock-full of homemade products like byrek, gjizë, petulla (Albanian doughnuts which are served with sugar, honey or feta cheese), or an assortment of pickled tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and more, all offered in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.  In the region, you will also find a number of traditional restaurants that serve fresh meat or the simple but delectable fasule, large white beans boiled in delicious seasoned tomato broth. The livestock products are especially fresh and of an excellent quality thanks to the unpolluted and optimal environmental conditions.

Because of the cold, northern climate, the people of Dibra have quite the sweet tooth! Thus, a special place in this food odyssey should be reserved for Dibra’s traditional sweets. No visitor has been known to come out of Dibra without being addicted to at least one of their sweet specialties. In fact, most of Albania’s most popular deserts come from this precise region. If you think you know what halva is, you might want to try the version from Dibra which has an entirely singular and spectacular flavor. Or the decadent but unbelievable sheqerpare, a traditional Albanian dessert that assumes its best buttery, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth version in Dibër. Giving it a generic description like “cookies in syrup” does not even begin to describe this treasure of Albanian culinary cuisine! Baklava, revani or shëndetli, are some other, no less scrumptious, national desserts that you cannot skip while visiting their place of origin.

Baklava, traditional Albanian dessert, Source: fax.al

Every October, the ‘Feast of Harvest,’ a large fair offering the tastes of the local cuisine and promoting regional products, is held in the city of Peshkopia, very near Dibra. This is yet another chance of sampling some of the best this region has to offer! Here, you can find different types of cheese, honey, sweets, the famous traditional very strong alcoholic drink of raki (traditionally made from grapes with delicious variations of plum, quince, and more), fresh, organic fruit and so much more. If you are looking to feed your body with great food and fresh air, Dibra is the place for you!