Food ranks as one of the more important aspect of travelling (atleast I feel so!). When it comes to hiking there is nothing like looking forward to a great end-of-day meal to wrap it all up. On the Peaks of the Balkans you will have a chance to try the Balkan cuisine in all its glory. The guide will help you create your food must try list as well as getting to know the local name of dishes.
Food on trail
A quick note: your best food experiences on the trail will be in the towns at the start and end of the hiking stages. The food availablity on the actual stages is fairly limited. Some stages have mountain cafés that generally have drinks, snack coffee and tea. It is common for hikers to pack lunch for the day and carry food out. I encourage you to ask for a packed lunch at the hotel or guest house you are staying at for the night.
Balkan cuisine 101
The Balkan region, comprising Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo, boasts a rich and diverse culinary tradition. The cuisine is a mix of Mediterranean, Ottoman, and European flavors which means that you will recognize some dishes and be faced with delicious variations of others. The region is known for its sweet traditions, including "baklava" (pastry with phyllo dough, nuts, and honey) and "trileqe" (cream dessert). Other notable dishes are "qofte" (meatballs), "shish kebab" (skewers of marinated meat), and "flija" (flatbread). Portions are generous so you will not leave the table hungry.
What will be clear to you early on the trail is the quality of the ingredients. The vast majority of ingredients you will consume have been locally sourced. It not uncommon for guest houses to serve their own produce. The hot climate is ideal for fruits and vegetables so expect some amazing salads (don't miss out!).
The region's love for coffee is well-known, with cafés serving Turkish coffee and espresso. Turkish coffee is generally unfiltered so if that is not your typical mug in the morning you are in for an experience.
The must try list
I've composed a small list of local dishes that I think you should consider ordering to get a feel for the Balkan cuisine.
Meats
- Ćevapi (pronounced "cheh-vah-pee") - minced meat sausages (this being an absolute ⭐️ where you can hardly go wrong)
- Qofte (pronounced "koh-fteh") - meatballs
- Shish Kebab (pronounced "shish keh-bahb") - skewers of marinated meat
- Plješadvica (pronounced "pleh-shah-dee-tsah") - a type of meat pie
- Burek (pronounced "boo-rek") - flaky pastry filled with meat or cheese
Dairy and cheese
- Feta (pronounced "feh-tah") - a type of cheese
- Kajmak (pronounced "kah-y-mahk") - a type of cheese spread
- Smetana (pronounced "smeh-tah-nah") - sour cream
Sweet and baked goods
- Baklava (pronounced "bah-kah-lah-vah") - pastry with phyllo dough, nuts, and honey
- Trileqe (pronounced "tree-leh-cheh") - a type of cream dessert
- Flija (pronounced "flee-yah") - a type of flatbread
- Palacinke (pronounced "pah-lah-cheen-keh") - a type of crepe
This should give you a good starting point. Hiking the trail I did not notice bigger differences in the cuisine when crossing borders as I assume the mountain culture unites the region. The Balkan cuisine is not the most known globally speaking - but, it is gaining ground in cities around the world. Having tried it on the Peaks of the Balkans you have a head start and tried it all before it got cool :)
