Mrizi i Zanave, Fishtë: The Farm That Started Agritourism in Albania
Fishtë, near Lezhë
Altin Prenga learned to cook in Italy, starting out washing dishes in restaurant kitchens. He came back to Fishtë, the village he is from, and opened Mrizi i Zanave with his father and brother. It became one of the first agritourism farms in Albania, and it showed a lot of people here that village food belonged in a good restaurant.
"I did not invent agritourism, nor copy it. I adapted it for my country."
Altin Prenga (translated from Albanian)
Around 200 families from the area work with Mrizi, about 80 of them as regular suppliers. The cheese, meat, vegetables, olives, honey, and wine all come from Fishtë and the villages around it, and all of it is organic.
One of our favorite things Altin makes is a cheese from mountain goat's milk that he ages in a barrel of pomegranate juice. The name Mrizi i Zanave comes from a poem by Gjergj Fishta, who was born in the same village. There is now a second Mrizi in Tirana, run to the same standard.
At a Glance
Fishtë, near Lezhë · Altin Prenga and family · Organic food and wine
Where to Start
Anything in our Mrizi collection. All of it comes from Fishtë and the villages around it.