Flija — the layered pancake of the Albanian Alps

Some dishes are defined by their ingredients; flija is defined by patience. This spiral of paper-thin batter, built up layer by layer over glowing coals, is the great celebratory food of the northern Albanian mountains — the Bjeshkët e Nemuna, or "Accursed Mountains" — and the highland communities that stretch into Kosovo.

How it's made

Flija (sometimes flia) is cooked on a saç — a round metal tray set over embers and topped with a heavy iron lid that is itself heaped with hot coals, so heat comes from above and below. The cook ladles a ring of thin flour-and-water batter, lets it set, brushes it with cream or butter, then ladles the next ring slightly overlapping the last.

Repeated a dozen or more times, the rings fan out into a blooming, petal-like spiral. The result is a dense, layered pancake — somewhere between a crêpe cake and bread — soft inside, lightly crisped at the edges. Making a full flija can take a couple of hours, which is exactly the point: it's food for gatherings, cooked outdoors and shared.

How it's eaten

Flija arrives warm, cut into wedges, and it's rarely alone on the table. Expect it with:

• Kajmak — thick clotted cream that melts into the warm layers
• Honey or homemade jam, for those who take it sweet
• White cheese, butter and yogurt, the savoury standard

It works as a hearty breakfast, a centrepiece at a family feast, or a reward after a long day on the trail.

Where and when to find it

You're most likely to meet flija in the mountain north — the guesthouses of Theth and Valbona, the villages around Shkodër, and family kitchens across the highlands. Because it takes time and skill, many guesthouses prepare it to order or on set evenings, so ask ahead. Summer, when the hiking season fills the valleys and families cook outdoors, is prime flija time. Order it once and you'll understand why mountain Albanians treat it less as a dish than as an occasion.