Albanian chef Lavdije Shehu won the first prize at this year’s Festival of International Gastronomy in Naples, Italy (11-26 July). She won the trophy for two traditional Albanian dishes over selections from 26 countries, including Indonesia, Brazil, Italy, Morocco, and Mexico.

As a result, Albania won the right to host the next year’s competition. The festival aims at judging the typical cuisines of various countries by paying heed not only to the elaboration of recipes but also to the use of certain ingredients from their countries of origin.

The restaurant “Sofra e Ariut” (Bear’s Table) represented Albania at the Festival. Its chef, Lavdije Shehu, prepared the dishes and presented them to the Festival’s jury.

Shehu told Southeast Europe: People and Culture that besides cooking techniques, Albania attracted interest due to the use of organic products. “We are blessed to use organic products. I brought the ingredients for the tavë kosi and fërgesë tirana with me to Italy, including the lamb meat, eggs, yogurt, milk and curd. They [the jury] were so surprised when they saw and tasted the products,” Shehu said. In her opinion, sticking to the old tradition when it comes to cooking is what makes the difference.

What were the major ingredients and herbs you used in preparing the traditional dishes?

I used garlic and red and black pepper for the fërgesa. As for the tavë kosi, I used lamb meat, eggs, yogurt, flour, and rice.

One of the elements garnering Albania’s dish in this event was the characteristic raki (liquor distilled from grain, grapes, plums, etc., from southeast Europe and the Near East) from the restaurant “Sofra e Ariut.” What is so special about it?

This raki is produced by the father of the owner of this restaurant, Safet Pashako. After it is produced, it is stored in oak barrels. This gives the raki a different colour and taste compared to other Albanian raki. It has a cognac-like feel.

How has traditional Albanian cooking fared recently?

Many Albanians no longer use traditional cooking methods. At ‘Sofra e Ariut” we think it is important to do so. We adhere to the motto “Old tradition, new style.” This means that we stick to the traditional dishes of Albania. We do not forget them and we think this is better. Moreover, I finished my studies when such traditional dishes dominated, so this influenced me.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am originally from Përrenjas but have lived in Tirana for 30 years. I worked at the Piazza restaurant (currently called Pastiqa) first and then at ‘Sofra e Ariut.’ When I was little, I liked cooking, but the reason I ended up being a chef was because my elder brother was a chef, too. I think cooking is an art in itself.

Why people should dine at “Sofra e Ariut”?

We serve the best dishes from various Albanian cities in a traditional setting here. Our waitresses wear national costumes. The restaurant contains various traditional objects like barrels storing fresh water, wine, or raki, rare xhubleta (traditional garment worn by women in northern Albania) and others. We do not forget the old traditions when it comes to cooking as this is what we can do to preserve the values of our nation.