Indulgences

1. raki

   Fruit brandy, the local distilled spirit

   Usage

   A spirit usually distilled in home cellars across the Balkans, made from grapes, plums, figs and other fruit. It comes in small glasses, before a meal or to welcome a guest. ⚠ Albania has a Muslim-majority population and some people do not drink — check before offering. To decline, "Nuk dua alkool, ju lutem." (no alcohol, please) works

2. raki rrushi

   Grape raki

   Usage

   The commonest of the raki types. It is distilled from the pomace left over from winemaking, so it is most common in grape-growing areas

   Grammar Note

   "rrushi" is the ablative of "rrush" (grape), meaning "of grape". The material is added the same way in "raki kumbulle" (plum) and so on

3. raki rigoni

   Oregano-flavoured raki

   Usage

   "Rigon" (oregano) appears in both "çaj rigoni" and "raki rigoni". It is popular in the south of the country and made from white oregano

   Grammar Note

   "rigoni" is the ablative of the masculine noun "rigon" (oregano)

4. Kallmet

   Kallmet — an indigenous Albanian red wine grape

   Usage

   The indigenous Albanian grape variety Kallmeti. It is a red grown around Lezhë and Shkodër in the north, and appears on wine lists as the variety name

   Grammar Note

   The definite form is "Kallmeti", which is how winery texts usually write it

5. Shesh i bardhë

   Shesh i bardhë — an indigenous Albanian white wine grape

   Usage

   Shesh i bardhë is an indigenous variety, alongside Shesh i zi. It is grown mainly around Tirana

   Grammar Note

   "i bardhë" is the masculine form of "white"; with a feminine noun it would be "e bardhë"

6. Shesh i zi

   Shesh i zi — an indigenous Albanian black wine grape

   Usage

   The red counterpart to Shesh i bardhë, and an indigenous variety in its own right; it also appears as a label name

   Grammar Note

   "i zi" is the masculine form of "black"; with a feminine noun it would be "e zezë"

7. bakllava

   Layered thin pastry with walnuts or almonds, soaked in syrup

   Usage

   Many thin pastry sheets top and bottom with crushed walnuts and almonds — or kajmak — in between. ⚠ Its origin is contested: Byzantine, Central Asian, Assyrian and Persian accounts all exist and none is settled. Whose sweet it is makes for an awkward conversation locally; better left alone

   Grammar Note

   The definite form is "bakllavaja"

8. kadaif

   Very fine shredded pastry filled with nuts and soaked in syrup

   Usage

   A sweet made from very fine threads of wheat dough with egg, butter, walnuts or almonds and syrup. The same word also names the shredded dough itself. It sits next to bakllava in every pastry shop

   Grammar Note

   The definite form is "kadaifi"

9. trileçe

   Sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk

   Usage

   A sponge cake soaked in three milks — powdered, condensed and cream. The name comes from Spanish "tres leches" (three milks). It usually has a caramel top and is a fixture of café dessert cases

   Grammar Note

   The definite form is "trileçja". The spelling "trileqe" is also used

10. ballokume

    Cookies baked for the 14 March Summer Day festival

    Usage

    It is the special bake for Dita e Verës (Summer Day, 14 March), prepared in the days before it. The Elbasan version is the well-known one. It is a mid-March item, so outside that window you will usually not find it

11. llokum

    Soft starch-and-sugar confection cut into small pieces

    Usage

    A soft sweet made from starch and sugar, sometimes with walnuts or almonds, cut into small pieces of various shapes. It is sold boxed and travels well as a gift. ⚠ It also has a figurative sense, "very soft", so keep the word to food

    Grammar Note

    Masculine. Definite "llokumi"; plural "llokume"

12. cigare

    Cigarettes

    Usage

    Sold at kiosks and supermarkets. The general word for tobacco is "duhan". ⚠ How indoor smoking rules are applied varies from place to place, so ask the staff before lighting up

    Grammar Note

    Feminine. Definite singular "cigarja"; plural "cigare"

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