I’ve been making this popular (and always recommended by locals) Flija by using my grill – it tastes great although it does take a couple of hours. It’s made with two types of pancake batters layered onto each other however the best part is that there is no fixed recipe for Flija. Everyone will use their own versions of batter all with the same tasty outcome! I’ve added three batter filling variations that I’ve tried and all taste similar with very little differences. For us, we prefer using a yogurt based filling so I’ve put this as option 1. Being one of the most favourite dishes of Albania, Flija is a layered pancake made with simple ingredients and baked slowly over a few hours. Served hot, fresh and with honey or greek yogurt (or both). We love having it for lunch, pudding or in fact anytime of the day. There is also an official Flia Day where you get together with family to prepare and eat Flija – March 18th. Albanian Flija is traditionally made with a saç which is a large metal lid that is placed over a pan that sits on what’s best to describe it, a BBQ on the ground. Using a traditional saç the key is to keep the temperature consistent. An open BBQ would be made on the ground and when ready the Flija will be made in a large pan / baking tray that is place directly onto it, while the next layer is being added the saç will be covered with ashes to bring and keep it at a steady temperature. For this recipe I need to clarify what type of grill to us as in different parts of the world it has different meanings. In the UK the term grill means ‘to put the food directly UNDER the heat’, we often have grills built into our ovens (oven door remains open) or a separate grill on the applicants. Some parts of the world call this Broiling. In some parts of America the term grill means ‘to put the food directly ABOVE the heat’ – we call the a BBQ here in the UK. So, to clarify you need to Grill or Broil – putting the Flija directly under the heat either via the grill in an oven (door open) or the separate grilling compartment.
