AJVAR RECIPE & HISTORY: Balkan peppers dip - all you need to know! (2024)

FAQs

Should ajvar be refrigerated? ›

Let cool to room temperature then use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Domestic ajvar, meaning "caviar", used to be a very popular dish in Belgrade homes and restaurants, but the domestic production of caviar became unsteady in the 1890s because of labor disputes.

Handling and Serving Ajvar: Keep ajvar in a dark and cool place. Ajvar in jars can last about 4 months. As you open each jar, pour the oil out, give ajvar a stir, then serve.

Generally speaking, ajvar is considered to be healthy. The ingredients that go in are all-natural and don't contain any negative parts that can damage your health. If you want to make ajvar even more beneficial, we suggest that you ditch the salt and make it without it. In most cases, extra salt can be bad.

North Macedonia is well known for its incredible, still mostly organic and sustainable produce, especially when it comes to red peppers and aubergines for Macedonian ajvar. As is the Leskovac region in Serbia, which produces a particular type of red pepper perfect for Leskovac ajvar.

Spread ajvar liberally on crusty bread, alongside roasted or barbecued vegetables and meats, or blend it with yoghurt and olive oil to make a dip. It tastes so good that ajvar lovers eat it with a spoon straight from the jar.

The origins of ajvar can be traced back to the Balkan region, where it has been a staple for centuries. It is believed to have originated in Serbia, but it is widely consumed and enjoyed across various Balkan countries. Ajvar is typically made in late summer or early autumn when bell peppers are in season.

Harissa sauce substitutes. If you are missing ingredients a fast substitute with a similar flavour is ajvar. Take one jar of ajvar and add chilli to give it the same spicy kick as harissa.

Ajvar is usually prepared in mid-autumn when bell peppers are at their freshest and most abundant. It exists in various forms throughout the Balkans where it goes by different names like ljutenica, pindjur, zacuscă, and kyopolou.

You can eat it cold or warm, as a side dish with grilled meat or just on bread or as an ingredient in marinades. Even if you know nothing about Balkan cuisine, you may have come across or heard someone mention, ajvar (pronounced “AY-vahr”).

Can you freeze ajvar? ›

You can also freeze ajvar for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving it.

Ajvar can taste mild and fruity or sharp and spicy. It might get a dose of chopped tomatoes or roast eggplant or even curds of farmer cheese. Though it's made with oil, it's mostly vegetable by mass, as healthy as a condiment could hope to be.

What is the healthiest condiment? Vinegar was the top pick of both dietitians. Drizzling it over beef, poultry or vegetables can boost taste without adding many calories. “It doesn't have any added salt, sugar or fat, and you don't need a lot of it to get a really strong flavor,” Rizzo says.

Its name comes from the Turkish word Havyar, which means caviar. Although many countries are still competing over whose ajvar is best, Serbia is considered the originator of this delicacy. People ate it with meat and vegetable dishes of the past, but it also goes great with many of today's recipes.

Ajvar is a popular dish in the Balkans, and is part of the traditional cuisine of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular. Its origins can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, where it was known as hajvar, and the word may not coincidentally bring to mind a similar-sounding food, caviar.

Once opened, we recommend that you refrigerate and eat them within seven days.

Red, yellow and green peppers: Unless they've been cut, peppers don't need to be refrigerated and will maintain their crisp outer skin longer outside the fridge. They should, however, be stored in a cool, dry spot — not in the fruit basket in the sunshine on the countertop.