Eat, eat, it will do you good!

My father-in-law (his picture is a couple of posts back) owned a restaurant when he was younger, and each and every time I sat down at his table, he would say to his family and guests, “Eat, eat, it will do you good!” When I married into an Albanian family (and, yes, it’s true that you marry the whole family), I had no idea of the taste treats that awaited me. The other day, I was commenting to Pat (an Arkansas stamper) about some Albanian dishes, and I decided to expand the comments into a whole post.

For those who are geographically challenged, Albania is a small country northwest of Greece and due east of the heel of Italy’s boot, across the Adriatic Sea. For those who have no interest in Greece or Italy, let alone the Adriatic Sea, my condolences. I will keep you in my prayers.

Some Albanian dishes are similar to Italian ones, some are similar to Greek ones, and some are completely and uniquely Albanian.

The secret of Mrs. Rhymeswithplague’s mother's spaghetti sauce was that she put chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breasts -– skin, bones, and all -- into it. Her mother also made kos (homemade yogurt), byrek (the Albanian equivalent of Greek spanakopita, a spinach pie that includes feta cheese and eggs and sauteed onions in layers of homemade phyllo dough), and -- my personal favorite -- avgolemono (a wonderful creamy egg lemon soup, also Greek, into which some people also add chicken).

Mrs. Rhymeswithplague makes some of the the world’s best avgolemono (ahv-go-LEM-uh-no) and byrek (byoo-REK), if I do say so myself. The creamy soup is difficult to make because, she says, it’s very easy for the eggs to curdle if you don’t drizzle the soup into the egg mixture properly and then you wind up with Chinese egg-drop soup on your hands instead. She doesn’t make kos -- she prefers to buy yogurt from the supermarket -- but she has made a tavë (TAH-va), which is okra, tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant, and onions baked in a pan. If one desires, it can also include potatoes and chunks of beef. Scrumptious! One of Mrs. Rhymeswithplague’s childhood favorites was a mixture of kos, dill, cucumbers, and garlic that one dipped into with pita bread. I’m also told that when guests came to one’s home, one was expected to offer them a spoonful of jelly and a small amount of whiskey.

I did a little research using an English-Albanian online dictionary and discovered that byrek means “pie” and tavë means “pan.” So much for exotic-sounding names.

Some other words and phrases one might hear around an Albanian dinner table include:

Pi ujë (pee wee), drink water
Bukë (book), bread
Qumështe (KYOO-mesht), milk
Do bukë? (dough BOOK?), do you want bread?

and after the meal:

Barku me cep (BAR-koo mih SEP-uh), my belly has corners (the Albanian equivalent of “I’m stuffed” or “I’m full” or “I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.” In Korea, I’m told, to show one’s gratitude for a meal, one belches loudly.)

Here, in my opinion, are the three most important Albanian phrases to know, so that someone (one’s spouse, for instance) can send you a private message when other people are within earshot:

3. Do veç nevojtora? (dough VETCH nuh-vy-TAW-duh?), do you have to go to the bathroom?

2. Shumë para (shoom puh-RAH), too expensive.

and, as David Letterman would say, the number-one most important Albanian phrase to know:

1. Hapi syri, mbylla gojë (oppy SOODY, BYOO-leh GOY), open your eyes and shut your mouth.

Of one thing I am sure: I ate, and ate, and it did me a world of good.