“I was little when I first went to the mill,” says the 70-year-old woman who ‘freezes’ time, still preserving the tradition

She carries 70 years on her shoulders, through a life full of difficult paths. Old age has rewarded her with a quiet life after many challenges, yet she has never given up work and continues to preserve traditions.

Mother Tonia, from the village of Shkozë in Pukë, even today, accompanied by her grandson, heads to the Gojani mill, where she grinds corn the seeds she still keeps traditional and native.

She carries it on her back, as custom dictates so that the bread is not disrespected, and together with her grandson, she arrives at the old Gojani mill.

Tone Lika wants this tradition not to fade, like many others under the influence of modern times. She first explains the process to her grandson, Rubin, an excellent student at the Fushë-Arrëz school.

Grain milling is an ancient technology, born from humanity’s effort to secure food, but even today, though a tradition that is fading, it creates unique flavors for various dishes made with corn flour.

“All the time we’ve ground like this. Especially after the cooperative disappeared. Our mills were not very well repaired. We fixed them as best as we could. The grain should be dry before milling. White corn is the best for cooking, while red corn is mainly used for livestock,” Mother Tonia recalls.

Today, Mother Tonia nostalgically remembers her childhood years when her parents would take her to the mill and leave her there alone to grind. Back then, she says, it was out of necessity; today, it is for pleasure.

“The first time I went to the mill, I was very little. I remember being in fourth grade. Our mother would take us, and after preparing the mill, she would leave us there alone to grind,” she shares.

For her grandson, Rubin, this weekend was also special. He hopes to preserve the tradition.

“It was very interesting. The mill is an important historical value. I hope the fields continue to be cultivated so that the mills remain functional,” says Rubin Lika.

Even today, though cooking is left to the daughter-in-law, Mother Tonia still wants to make corn bread and other products like çervish or corn porridge herself, which remain her specialty.

“From the flour come foods with great taste. Corn bread ground at the mill with water is something special and has a unique flavor. My mother-in-law, who was a specialist, entrusted this to me,” she explains.

Mills carry technological, commercial, and social history, but above all, they produce a product flour that bears a unique flavor when ground in such mechanisms, which unfortunately today are gradually disappearing.

“KORÇA BOOM”