The Importance Of Albanian Migration To America

Yana Krivoruk
GHS 240 OL
August 10th, 2014

Albanian Immigration in America

On the Eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea lies the 28,748 sq. km country of Albania. The country is slightly larger than the state of Maryland, with a population of approximately 3.162 million people. It is surrounded by Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia and Greece to the north and the south of it. The country is bordered by the Adriatic and Ionian sea. Currently there are approximately 201,118 people of Albanian decent living in the United States of America. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the total population of the United States of America is 317 million people. When the number of Albanian Americans is compared to the total population, it is easy to see
Albanians are one of the most recent group of European immigrants to come to America. The first reporting of an Albanian coming to America was in 1876. However it wasn’t until pre World War I, that the first substantial groups of Albanians came to the United States of America. The primary abundant number of Albanian people moved to America right before World War I for a few reasons. During that first migration, many of the immigrants were young men who came to the new country for economic gain. Many of them left Albania to escape the poor economic and political conditions. Many of them wanted to escape their military duty to the Turkish army. Most of these men came to America with the goal to make money, and then return home. These early groups of Albanian immigrants settled in Boston. Some others settled in other parts of Massachusetts, such as Worcester, South-bridge, Cambridge and Lowell. These were areas were unskilled factory work was available. This was essentially all the talent many of the first Albanians to settle in America had to offer because they had little education and did not know how to read or write. Around the time of 1907, Albanians were occupying jobs in mill factories, newfound factories, shoe factories, wood and leather factories, or in restaurants and hotels. From 1919-1925, some of these Albanian immigrants returned home. However, some of those who left America, soon returned
While these influences are visible, they culture still remains distinct. Albanian cuisine has been greatly influenced by Turkey, Greece, Armenia and Syria. “Albanians enjoy a variety of appetizers, soups, casseroles, pilaf, pies, stews, and desserts”, (www.everyculture.com). In many Albanian-American communities you can stumble across small shops which for instance will serve an Albanian style pie known as burek. These pies can be filled with meat, chicken, cheeses, milk, eggs, vegetables, etc. You can also find many small Albanian coffee shops. In these coffee shops you are guaranteed to find Turkish coffee, which the Albanians greatly enjoy. You may also stumble across “a variety of candies, cookies, custards, sweet breads, and preserves. They include halva , a confection made with sugar, flour, butter, maple syrup, water, oil, and nuts; te matur, a pastry filled with butter and syrup; baklava, a filo pastry made with nuts, sugar, and cinnamon; kadaif, a pastry made with shredded dough, butter, and walnuts; and lokume, a Turkish paste. Popular cookies include kurabie, a butter cookie made without liquid; finique , a filled cookie with many variations; and kuluraqka-kulure, Albanian "tea cookies.” While at these places you may hear the sound of music playing. It may sound quite similar to the sounds of Greek music. However when you listen closer, the music has a very unique sense of style, including