The Tavë Kosi Pilgrimage

Tavë kosi ("baked yogurt") is Albania's national dish: chunks of lamb (sometimes with a little rice) layered in an earthenware dish and baked under a custard of yogurt, eggs and butter that sets soft and tangy, browning on top like a savoury clafoutis. The sourness of the yogurt against the rich lamb is the whole charm - a dish with roots in the Ottoman past, gently soothing and unlike anything in Western European cooking.

Tirana is the reason this feels like a real discovery. Albania is one of Europe's last under-touristed corners, and its capital is a riot of colourfully painted communist-era blocks, buzzing cafés, a grand central square and prices that feel like a different decade. Flights are longer and less frequent, which keeps it quiet. Fly in, eat a dish almost no one back home has heard of, drink a strong coffee or a raki, and fly home a small step braver.