A very popular Turkish meze is a liver dish called Albanian (Style) Liver ("Arnavut Cigeri" ). To my surprise many years ago, in a conversation with an Albanian friend, I learned that there was no such dish in Albania. Ever since I kept wondering where the name came from. Couple of weeks ago, I finally had my answer!
According to Evliya Celebi, a well-know 17th century Turkish traveler, Albanian workers throughout Ottoman land were the poorest and could only afford this street food served inside a sandwich. Thus, this dish became associated with Albanians.
A must with Arnavut Cigeri is onion, sumac and parsley salad. Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice with a tart, sour lemon taste.
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