A couple of days ago, during an afternoon outburst of heavy
rain, I ran into a shop that, last year, was pointed out to me as ‘the’ place
to find all sorts of coffee.
It was a brand new type of store for Tirana, well furnished with a variety of goodies that
in addition to an enormous variety of coffee beans, included a superb assortment
of chocolates, but it was practically a whole in a wall. While being served one
could enjoy an excellent espresso, by standing up (such as many Italians do at
their bars) since it had room only for a couple of high round stands where to
park the serving cup and saucer. I remember enjoying then the strong, wonderful aroma
that hit me when I entered this place, and where the owner obliged me in
offering me different samples of the grind I was looking for to brew an
American type of coffee.
This time I found the store a bit larger and redecorated,
but with the same setup of small, high tables; thus I sipped an espresso
standing up. When the friend I was supposed to meet in that part of town reached
me, she and I went next door to another larger café where we could sit
down, be served, and chat. Here she suggested a
new drink that I had never heard of before, named ‘salep’. This new potion whose ingredients she tried
to describe, was a fabulous brew that it’s touted to have several health
benefits. The basic product is extracted
from some type of orchids’ bulbs, and the best ones come from Turkey (that my friend
wanted to be assured of, when she placed the order with our waiter). The best description and recipe of this thick and creamy
delight can, of course, be found online here also with related pictures.
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