 Ajvar with bread, garlic, pepper and salami | |
| Region or state | Balkans |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Capsicum (bell peppers),oil,salt |
Ajvar[a] is acondiment made principally from sweetbell peppers andeggplants.[1] The relish became a popular side dish throughoutYugoslavia after World War II and remains popular inSoutheast Europe.
Homemade ajvar is made of roasted peppers.[2] Depending on thecapsaicin content in bell peppers and the amount of added chili peppers, it can be sweet (traditional), piquant (the most common), or very hot. Ajvar can be consumed as abreadspread or as aside dish. Ajvar has a few variations. One variation contains tomato andeggplant, and another green bell peppers andoregano.
"HomemadeLeskovac Ajvar" and "Macedonian Ajvar" are registered with theWorld Intellectual Property Organization in order to protect their brand names.[3]
The nameajvar comes from theTurkish wordhavyar, which means "saltedroe, caviar" and shares an etymology with "caviar", coming from thePersian wordxaviyar.[4][5] Before the 20th century, significant local production of caviar occurred on the Danube, withsturgeon swimming from theBlack Sea up toBelgrade.[6] Domesticajvar, meaning "caviar", used to be a very popular dish in Belgrade homes and restaurants,[7] but the domestic production of caviar became unsteady in the 1890s because of labor disputes. Eventually a special pepper salad was offered as a substitute in Belgrade restaurants under the name "red ajvar" (crveni ajvar) or "Serbian ajvar" (srpski ajvar).[8]
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Homemade ajvar is made of peppers that are roasted, minced, and then cooked, but some industrial producers use fresh minced peppers, which are only cooked with sunflower oil afterwards, which leads to lower quality. Ajvar preparation is somewhat difficult, because it requires considerable manual labour, particularly for peeling the roasted peppers. It is traditionally prepared in mid-autumn, when peppers are most abundant, and preserved in glass jars for consumption throughout the year. Anecdotally, most households' stocks do not last until the spring, when fresh vegetables become available, so it is usually enjoyed as a winter food. Entire families or neighbours often gather to prepare the peppers together.[citation needed] The traditionalcultivar of pepper used is calledroga (approx. "horn").Roga is large, red, horn-shaped and relatively easy to peel, with thick flesh. It typically ripens in late September.[citation needed]
To produce ajvar, fresh peppers are roasted whole on a plate above an open fire,[9] a plate of wood in astove, or in anoven. The baked peppers must briefly cool to allow the flesh to separate from the skin. Next, the skin is carefully peeled off and the seeds are removed. The peppers are then ground in amill or chopped into tiny pieces (this variant is often referred to aspindjur). Finally, the resulting mash is stewed for several hours in large pots.Sunflower oil is added at this stage to condense and reduce the water, and to enhance later preservation. Salt is added at the end (sometimes alongsidevinegar), and the hot mush is poured directly into sterilized glass jars, which are sealed immediately.[citation needed]
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Ajvar is produced in most Balkan countries,[10] includingAlbania,Bosnia-Herzegovina,Croatia,North Macedonia,Slovenia andSerbia. Serbia's reported annual production is 640tons.[11]
Ajvar is often included as part ofzimnica (winter foods), which include pickled chili peppers, pickled tomatoes, and anything else that can be preserved in a jar just before winter.[12][13]
