We’re heading to Albania next, and this one promises to be bold, yoghurty (spelled the real way), and totally unexpected.

On the menu? A full traditional spread: Tavë Kosi (lamb baked in a yogurt-egg custard – still trying to wrap my mind around meat custard), crusty homemade Buke Shtëpie (bread), a chilled glass of Dhallë (salted yogurt drink – I’ll be truly shocked if I like this one), and chewy cornmeal Ballokume cookies for dessert (they call for fireplace ash in the recipe??).

The groceries have been shopped, and we’ve purchased the lamb shoulder from our new favorite local lamb dealer. Cooking day is set for Christmas, and for once, we’re heading into it without any grocery store chaos.

What remains to be seen: Will the yogurt curdle? Will the cookies hold together? Will we fall in love with salted yogurt as a drink?

Stay tuned, while we find out!

Subscribe to follow along! In our next post, we’ll share the recipes we plan to use!