Almost three years ago, a woman named Ellen Cras visited Hotel Castle Park in Berat to enjoy the canyons, walking tours of Berat and Tomor, and rafting in the Vjosa.
As it turns out, Ellen was a travel agent – and she enjoyed her time in Berat so much, from the nature to the hospitality to the irrisitable Albania food, that she decided she wanted to share the Albanian culture with the rest of the world.
So earlier this year, Ellen organised an Albanian evening in Puurs/Ruisbroek in Belgium, and invited the owner of Castle Park Hotel, and President of Slow Food Berat, Alma Sparthara, to assist in a night of Albanian food and culture.
The purpose of the evening was to exchange the Albanian culture and food to both travellers and the people of Belgium who wish to visit Albania.
Alma travelled to Belgium with two suitcases full of traditional ingredients from Berat, olives and oils and meats and bread, so she could make the most authentic and real Albanian food for the people of Belgium, and give them a taste of what Berat has to offer.
For the starters, Alma delivered traditional dishes of olives and dried meats, along with an assortment of cheeses and homemade bread with olive and rosemary oil, all from the area of Berat.
For the main courses, she made bruschetta with olive oil, japrak (stuffed vine leaves), byrek met prei (meatloaf pie), gevulde pepers (cooked vegetables), potatoes in the oven and other speciality dishes from Alma’s hometown.
The food was accompanied by wine from COBO winery in Berat – the winery has a long tradition of producing the best wine in the region, dating back to the beginning of the 1990’s.
During the dinner, the tourists heard information about the most beautiful places in Albania from North to South, and Alma herself spoke about the nature, activities and culinary traditions of Berat and Albania.
The dinner was a huge success, with many people attending, and the love and culture of Berat shared with the people of Belgium. There will definitely be many more Belgium people now travelling to visit Albania and experience more of the unique culture and hospitality the country has to offer!
The day after the dinner, Alma was also able to experience some of the Belgium food and culture, with Ellen showing her around as a tour guide. The pair visited the capital Brussels and saw many cultural and architectural monuments, even some UNESCO heritage listed ones. The highlight for Alma was to try the waffles and chocolate, and to eat the French fries and visit the many beer shops around the area.
“The city was buzzing with chocolate drunk tourists, and there was a great energy around the city in Belgium,” Alma said.
“I’d like to thank Ellen Cras and her wonderful family Rebecca who helped me during the event and Peter Cobon who made it possible to send the summer to the tourists,” she said.
Events like this are pivitol in making others aware of the beautiful culture and food Albania has to offer. We’re very proud to have exceptional traditions and hospitality, and we’re excited to continue sharing these with the rest of the world.
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