Ajvar

Ajvar or Ajwar, Macedonian and Serbian Cyrillic Ајвар, Croatian Ajvar, Turkish Hajvar or Kavyar or Albanian Ajvari, is a so-called vegetable caviar, a Puree peppers or alternatively peppers and eggplant, served cold with meat dishes, or as a condiment and spreads serves.

Origin and Distribution

Especially Ajvar is established in the kitchens of the countries of the former Yugoslavia, where he is valid as a national specialty. Regarding the specific origin of the food, there are different and controversial theories. Ajvar is also known in other countries of Southeast Europe and Turkey.

1996 failed, the Slovenian company Živilska Industry of doo from Kamnik in the attempt to obtain protection for the term Ajvar, since it is a generic term. In almost all countries of the former Yugoslavia, there are around Ajvar cultural and culinary events, some with a competitive nature.

Production

For traditional manufacturing red peppers are roasted, skinned and gutted and with a little oil as long gently roasted, stirring constantly, until they have dissolved into a homogeneous mass, which may take several hours. The soup is seasoned only with salt and pepper. Hermetically sealed Ajvar is this for a long time durable.

In modern variants other ingredients are often used and cooked much shorter. These red sweet peppers or bell peppers and eggplant are roasted until the oven and peeled, seeded the peppers, all chopped fine, with olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar, hot peppers, garlic, pepper, salt and finely chopped, mixed steamed onions and possibly eggplants and as long gently cooked until the liquid is almost cooked.

Similar preparations

Similar preparations are Ljutenica and tomato stew and from Macedonia Pindjur (Serbian Pindjur ), which is always made with eggplant and this with tomatoes, onions and garlic. The Romanian version is named ZACUSCA; the Hungarian paste Erős Pista is rather sharp.