Albania!

 

I didn't have much luck with my Google searches for Albanian restaurants in the area. After reaching out to the Albanian-American Association via Facebook, they shared that there is an Albanian-owned coffee shop in the Edgewater neighborhood called Eagle Kafe serving a few Albanian food items. What a delight this place was! I hadn't been to that particular part of Cleveland yet (W. 111th and Detroit), but it was super cute and I'm already clamoring to go back and explore. It felt like a proper city with the original mixed-use buildings - not the monstrosities that have taken over as of late. Despite no sign, it was easy to spot the cafe that was housed in the ground floor of a brick apartment building. It had a great, lively patio that was bustling on a weekday afternoon.  

There was Albanian pride displayed throughout the interior and the owner, Juxhin, was happy to answer my questions about the food in the case and what I should try. They have a handful of baked goods, including two versions of byrek - one meat-filled and one spinach and cheese. I told Juxhin to pick his favorite for me and without hesitation, he warmed up a spinach and cheese slice for me. And then he wouldn't let me pay for it! My first comped meal! 

I brought the byrek and iced coffee out to the patio to enjoy. It was perfectly flaky and savory. One of the best versions of these types of pies that I've had. Byrek is known as the street food of the Balkans, dating back to the Ottoman Era and most believing that it originates in what is now known as Turkey. 

Albanian byrek fillings are most often savory with spinach byrek being the most common. The other common types found in the Balkans are cheese (more often made with gjizë, cottage cheese), meat, potato, yogurt, pumpkin, and using nettles, cabbage, zucchini and leeks will often be found too.

With the sidewalk cafe tables full of men speaking Albanian and smoking heavily, it definitely didn't feel like a Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland. But something I've learned throughout this project is that this IS Cleveland. There are these glorious little pockets of culture that make up this city's fabric and it has been so fun to discover them along the way. 

From the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:  Albanians are today one of Greater Cleveland's most prominent ethnic communities, growing significantly since the fall of communism in Albania in 1992. They arrived in Cleveland in four distinct waves: late 19th century (1890s), early 20th century (1900-1938), post-World War II (1945-1992), and after the fall of communism (1992-present). 

Cleveland's earliest Albanian immigrants arrived from Italy in the 1890s, as part of the large influx of ITALIAN immigrants. Known as the Arbëreshë, these Albanians were descendants of those who fled to southern Italy in order to escape the Ottoman invasion of their homeland in the Middle Ages. The second wave of Albanians came to Cleveland from Korçë, a major cultural and educational center in southern Albania. Attracted by Cleveland's labor opportunities, almost all of these immigrants were from the peasantry and possessed no formal education and meager financial resources. Most were men, originally not planning to remain in the U.S.; eventually most stayed and brought their families to join them. These immigrants settled on the West Side of Cleveland, on Detroit Ave. NW from W. 54th to W. 58th Sts., and in LINNDALE. Some also settled on the East Side around E. 30th and St. Clair. In their urban ghettos, social networks provided newcomers with the support necessary to adjust to their new environment. By the time Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italy invaded Albania in 1939, approximately 1,000 people of Albanian descent were living in Cleveland.

After the second World War, Albanian displaced persons arrived in Cleveland from refugee camps in Italy, Germany, and Austria. Others came from the Kosovo region of Yugoslavia. No Albanians were allowed to leave their homeland once the communists, led by Enver Hoxha, gained control of the country in 1946. In the New World, Albanian Clevelanders established several social clubs and founded three major newspapers: The Dielli, Liria, and Shqiptari i Lire. In 1938, Orthodox Albanians in Cleveland founded the Society of St. E. Premte. 

After the fall of communism in Albania in 1992, Albanian immigration to the Greater Cleveland area from Albania (especially Fier) and other parts of Southeastern Europe (especially Kosovo) exploded. These new immigrants were religiously diverse - Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, and secular. Many arrived through the efforts of Albanian American Cleveland Councilwoman Dona Brady. Additionally, during the war in Kosovo in 1999, Cleveland was selected by President Bill Clinton as one of five U.S. cities to receive and resettle refugees from the conflict. Today, Albanians form one of the most visibly prominent immigrant groups in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. In the metropolitan area, they number approximately 20,000, comprising the largest Albanian American community between the urban centers of the East Coast and Michigan. Their numbers continue to grow with the arrival of new immigrants to the Cleveland area, with the heaviest concentrations in the West Side neighborhoods of Cleveland and the neighboring West Side suburbs of Lakewood, Rocky River, and Fairview Park. 

In 1998, the Albanian American Association of Cleveland was founded by Dona Brady, Hasan Bakia, Arile Jani, Kleida Spirollari, Victor Thomas, Walter Vajusi, Burhan Vneshta, and Kutim Dauti. The association was instrumental in raising the funds to build the Albanian Cultural Garden among the Cleveland Cultural Gardens in Cleveland's Rockefeller Park. Formally dedicated on September 22, 2012, the garden was designed by Cleveland architect Jim McKnight and features a sculpture of Mother Theresa by renowned Albanian artist, professor, and sculptor Kreshnik Xhiku. The dedication was attended by Councilwoman Brady, former Albanian President Bujar Nishani, Albanian Ambassador to the U.S. Gilbert Galanxhi, Fier Mayor Baftjar Zeqaj, and Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson. The second phase of the Garden was marked by the installation of an ornate fountain built in the 1920s. The fountain originally stood in Willard Park, but was removed by the city to renovate the park and install the Free Stamp. The fountain, long thought lost, was discovered by Councilwoman Brady dismantled in the parking lot of Harvard Yard. The City of Cleveland originally intended to discard the fountain, but donated it to the Albanian Garden after Councilwoman Brady intervened to save it. The fountain was dedicated as part of the Garden on November 24, 2013. At the dedication, Fier Mayor Baftjar Zeqaj addressed the crowd in Albanian, while Fr. John Loejos of St. E. Premte blessed the soil from Albania that was mixed into the soil of the Garden. The Albanian American Association is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the Albanian Garden, a symbol of the vitality of one of Cleveland's most dynamic and growing ethnic communities. 

31 down, 21 to go! 

Eagle Kafe

11100 Detroit Ave

Cleveland, Ohio 44102

Hours: 8am - 10pm every day