Herbs
Qifqi
Gjirokastër, Albania
Traditional rice balls from Gjirokaster made with cooked rice, eggs, dried mint, and salt, fried in a special multi-cavity pan, crispy exterior with soft fluffy interior and distinctive mint flavor, a UNESCO city signature.
Original eatfuls sticker artwork
What it is
A closer look at Qifqi.
Traditional rice balls from Gjirokaster made with cooked rice, eggs, dried mint, and salt, fried in a special multi-cavity pan, crispy exterior with soft fluffy interior and distinctive mint flavor, a UNESCO city signature.
What to look for
Know it when you find it.
Crispy exterior, soft fluffy interior, distinctive mint flavor, traditionally fried in a special qifqi pan with round molds, only found in Gjirokaster, traditional, authentic, rare, regional, heritage, unique, beloved.
Where it belongs
Origins and
traditions.
Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Qifqi.
Names around the table
One food, more than one name.
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Ethiopia
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Colombia
Cilantro Cimarrón
A wild cilantro variety from the Colombian Pacific, with long, serrated leaves and a strong, aromatic flavor. Used in Pacific soups, stews, and tapao.
Dominican Republic
Culantro
A Dominican herb (culantro/recao) with long, serrated leaves and a strong, aromatic cilantro-like flavor. Used in sofritos and stews, a key seasoning.
Ethiopia
Gesho
ጌሾ
A buckthorn shrub whose stems and leaves are used to ferment and bitter Ethiopian tej (honey wine) and tella (beer). Gesho plays the role hops play in beer — without it, there'd be no Ethiopian fermented drinks.
Greenland
Angelica
Qajaliusaq
Arctic angelica; a wild herb used to infuse water and flavor dishes; carafes of angelica-infused water are served at kaffemik gatherings; a traditional Greenlandic herb; a key ingredient in New Arctic Kitchen cuisine.
Greenland
Mountain Sorrel (Seernaq)
Mountain sorrel (seernaq), a lemony Greenlandic herb eaten fresh or cooked with fish and seal.