Ajvar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ajvar (pronounced "EYE-var") is a relish made principally from red bell peppers, with eggplant, garlic and chile pepper. It is predominantly popular in the Balkans. Depending on capsaicin content in bell peppers and the amount of added chile peppers, it can be sweet, piquant (the most common) or very hot.
Ajvar can be consumed as a bread spread, an addition in sandwiches, condiment (often used with grilled or roasted meat) or salad.
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[edit] Etymology
The name ajvar comes from Turkish havyar, which means salted roe.
[edit] Preparation
Preparation of ajvar is somewhat difficult, as it involves plenty of manual labor, especially for peeling. Traditionally, it is prepared in early autumn, when the bell peppers are most abundant, conserved in glass jars, and consumed throughout the year (although in most households stocks don't last up until spring, when fresh salads start to emerge anyway, so it's usually enjoyed as winter food).
The peppers and eggplants are baked whole on a plate on open fire, plate of a wood stove, or in the oven. Baked peppers must briefly rest in a closed dish, so that they get cooler and the flesh sets apart from the skin. Then, the skin is carefully peeled off and seeds removed. So obtained pepper is ground in a mill or chopped in tiny pieces (this variant is often referred to as pinđur). Finally, the mush is stewed for a couple of hours in large pots, with added sunflower oil and garlic, in order to condense and reduce the water, as well as to enhance later conservation. Salt and optional vinegar are added at the end and the hot mush is poured directly into glass jars which are immediately sealed.
[edit] Production
The best ajvar is produced domestically, as only the manual peeling and seed removal ensures clear taste without slightly bitter influence of the pepper skin. Industrial production is modest; reported annual Serbian production of ajvar is 640 tons [1].
[edit] Industrial producers
- Droga Kolinska, Slovenia
- Podravka, Croatia
- PIK Bečej, Serbia
- Vegafruit, Bosnia and Hercegovina
- Vitaminka, Rep. of Macedonia
[edit] External links
- Ajvar production in Vitaminka factory, Republic of Macedonia
- Ajvar manufacture
- NPR article and recipe for Ajvar, the "Serbian Salsa"
[edit] See also
- Lutenica
- Zacuscă, a similar relish in Romania
- Biber salçası, a Turkish spread made from red peppers alone
