The Tave Kosi Pilgrimage

Tave kosi ("baked yogurt") is Albania's national dish and one of those recipes that sounds odd and tastes wonderful: chunks of lamb layered in an earthenware dish, covered with a mixture of yogurt, eggs, butter and a little rice or flour, then baked until the custard sets soft and tangy with a golden crust on top. The sourness of the yogurt against the slow-cooked lamb is the whole charm - gentle, rich and unlike anything in Western European cooking.

Tirana is the reason this feels like a genuine discovery. Albania is one of Europe's last corners where tourism hasn't smoothed everything flat, and its capital is a riot of colourfully painted communist-era blocks, buzzing cafe terraces, a grand central square and prices that feel like a different decade. The flight is longer and less frequent, which keeps it quiet. Fly in, eat something almost nobody back home has heard of, drink a strong coffee or a raki, and fly home knowing you went somewhere genuinely different.