Flia or flija ( Albanian indefinite form: fli) is an Albanian dish typical of northern Albania and of the cuisine of Kosovo. It consists of multiple

crêpe A crêpe or crepe ( or , , ) is a dish made from unleavened batter or dough that is cooked on a frying pan or a griddle. Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: ''sweet crêpes'' () or ''savoury galettes'' (). They are often served ...

-like layers brushed with cream and served with

sour cream Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturall ...

and

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

. The name translates to "sacrifice" (see '' fli''). Flia is prepared in the shape of the Sun (Albanian Dielli) also featuring sunbeams.

Tradition

March 17, which falls within the traditional Albanian festivities of Verëza ( spring equinox), is recognized as "Flia Day" in which families invite their relatives for preparing and eating flia. It is assumed that flia began to be prepared by Albanians for Verëza as a sacrifice to the Sun-god.

Preparation

Flia requires very simple ingredients, although it takes a rather long time to prepare. The ingredients are:

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

yogurt Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...

, eggs, oil and

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

. Some variations use kaymak as the filling instead. The main ingredients (flour, water and salt) are mixed together until they become like pancake batter. Layers of batter are baked using a '' saq'' which is a spherical metal lid used for baking.

References

Kosovan cuisine Albanian cuisine Pastries {{albania-stub