This traditional Albanian pepper dish is perfect for summer

Albanian cuisine is known for simple dishes that create incredibly rich flavours from just a few basic ingredients. The combination of Mediterranean freshness, Balkan tradition, and rustic cooking is especially visible in dishes made with vegetables and cheese, and one of the most authentic among them is Speca me gjize.

The name literally means “peppers with cheese”, and the dish consists of roasted peppers stuffed with gjizë cheese, a traditional Albanian fresh cheese similar to cottage cheese or ricotta. This dish is often prepared in summer, when peppers are at their juiciest, and it can be served as a main dish, side dish, or cold appetizer.

It is especially popular in southern Albania, where homemade dairy products and vegetables are an important part of everyday cuisine. In many Albanian homes, the recipe has been passed down through generations, with every family having its own small secret when preparing the filling.

Peppers and cheese Photo: Gulnazina Depositphotos

RECIPE FOR SPECA ME GJIZE

To prepare this simple but very delicious Albanian dish, you will need the following:

Ingredients:

• 8 medium-sized peppers
• 300 g fresh cheese or cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• A little fresh parsley
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

Wash the peppers, cut off their tops, and carefully remove the seeds. In a bowl, mix the fresh cheese (gjizë), eggs, finely chopped garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper until you get a compact mixture. Fill the peppers with the prepared filling, leaving a little space at the top so the filling does not overflow during baking. Arrange them in a lightly oiled baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 35 minutes, until the peppers soften and become lightly roasted. Serve warm with bread, yogurt, or a light salad.

For a quicker pan-fried version, watch this video:

IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW…

In many parts of Albania, gjizë is traditionally made at home from the whey left over after cheese production, which is why this dish was long considered food for rural families who wasted nothing.

And finally, speca me gjize perfectly shows that Albanian cuisine does not need complicated ingredients to be special. The aroma of roasted peppers and creamy cheese creates a combination that easily wins people over from the very first bite. If you want the taste of traditional Albanian cuisine on your table, this is definitely one of the dishes to try!