Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Frida Krifca was optimistic and proud of this excellent achievement of agricultural producers.

“Proud of our excellent producers who preserve the tradition and all the work done in cooperation between the producers, local government, associations and food experts. There has also been cooperation in setting up the relevant structure for identification, registration, protection of origin through certification”, said Krifca.

Mishavina cheese has been used under this name for more than 100 years, but it is thought to have an even earlier history.

It is a product that is used to honor the guest and to feel proud, linked to the livestock tradition of the area and the geographical position, with suitable temperatures for storage. The pastures of Kelmendi are of the alpine and subalpine type with an altitude of 1500-2400 m above sea level.

Mishavin cheese is produced with milk from cattle (cows and sheep) that graze in alpine pastures during the summer. The specific characteristics of the cheese are the fine pieces, the characteristic aroma, the delicate taste, as well as the high level of digestibility.

Sage Honey, Permet

It is the Sage flower, so rare, but which is found in abundance in the area of Frashëri and the Bredh i Hotova national park, that makes this honey so special with its aroma, taste and rare properties. The Sage flower is the only flower (in the period of August and September) that grows on the mountain of Tepri, Gostivisht, Permet at about 1500m above sea level.

Very few families in the area of Frashëri and the village of Gostinisht in the Hotova National Park produce this honey, as most of the Sage flowers are found in mountainous areas that are difficult to reach. Bees live in an area with completely wild vegetation, and far from fruit trees, far from the countryside. “The Sage Honey, Gostivisht”, currently with 7 members, produces this kind of honey.

In this region, beehives are placed near the bushes and flowers of the sage to facilitate harvesting.

The honey is yellow to green in color, with a strong aroma and thick consistency related to the low moisture content, about 16%.

“Melted cheese” is an old tradition of Northern Albania, which continues to be produced today in limited quantities. Today, this unique cooking of the north of Albania is among the main specialties of restaurants with traditional Albanian dishes. The Agricultural Society “Djathi I Ziem Veleçik”, currently with 10 members, continues to produce this specialty respecting the traditional way of its preparation.

The term “melted” is related to the specific character of its preparation, a special dish that has been passed down orally from generation to generation.

It is produced from cow’s milk collected in the area around Malësi e Madhe: Kastrat, Shkrel and Lower Kelmendi. Each stage of the production process respects the traditional way of production, despite the modern equipment. In its most traditional form, the product must be obtained from freshly milked cow’s milk, which comes raw at the factory. The specific characteristics of the cheese are its soft and elastic structure, as well as the delicate and slightly spicy taste.

This recipe was reserved for special guests and only the women of the house knew how to prepare it and passed it down to the younger ones. The members of the group of producers and other residents of the area testify that in their families, melted cheese has been prepared for more than a century and was cooked only when important guests came to the house. It is a dish full of calories, suitable for the characteristic cold areas of northern Albania, with relatively low temperatures.

The production and preparation method differs from all other fresh cheeses. The product differs from other cheeses by its elastic structure and slightly spicy taste. It is not served fresh, but cooked. Serve warm, without allowing it to freeze.

Rrunja goat cheese is produced by “Autochthonous Goat of Bulac”, in Muhur Dibra, consisting of 7 members. It is produced from the fresh milk of Bulac goats, collected by the shepherds who keep the goats in the mountains of Rrunja, which gives it a special aroma of the goats’ milk, as a result of the grazing in alpine pastures and the traditional way of processing.

The history of cheese production begins 60-70 years ago with the grandmother of the Voka family, who collected and processed milk directly in the mountains of Rrunja.

Cheese production starts from May to mid-October by processing the collected milk. The cheese has a white, uniform color and the pleasant aroma characteristic of goat’s milk from goats.

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State Commissioner of Elections Ilirjan Celibashi said that, “We still have doubts about components of the regulatory aspect of the financing of political parties, the behavior of the media or the behavior of institutions”.

“Not everyone and not all of us are clear about who will finance whom. We still are not clear regarding the limits and boundaries that the media has in relation to the reporting and reflection of the electoral activities or of the electoral political subjects as a whole, how to build the financial relationship between the media and electoral subjects. How is this relationship reflected and what are the consequences for both political parties and the media in cases where these regulatory aspects are not respected”, he said.

For her part, Head of the financial sector in the CEC Valbona Ballgjini raised a problem that the CEC is facing for political parties, since more than 50% of them do not have correct addresses and do not submit financial statements.

She said that political parties have the obligation to create a special register, the model of which is approved by the CEC, registering all the amounts and funds benefited by any natural or legal person as data with clear identification of the donor.

Ballgjini also said that all electoral subjects have the obligation to submit their financial statements, including the income and expenses of each candidate, within 60 days from the release of the final result.

Another change in the Electoral Code is the denunciations portal where you can denounce the financing of political parties.

“As far as the monitoring of election campaigns is concerned, it is done by monitors selected by the CEC. They monitor political parties and the behavior of the administration regarding election campaigns 4 months in advance,” she said. /j.p/p.s./