Ajvar: The Ultimate Balkan Spread
If you would ask any Balkan resident what the one thing they can eat with every single dish is – they would probably say ajvar.
And it’s no surprise – ajvar is very popular in the Balkans, and people swear by it. It goes even further, and people often fight with each other to see who ate better ajvar in their lifetime.
Why, you may ask? Why is ajvar so crucial to the Balkan people? Many other sauces go even better with specific dishes that are more famous worldwide (ketchup, mustard, or even tartar).
Before we answer this question, you need to realize that ajvar has a special place in the hearts of every Balkan person and that they are often very subjective on this matter.
Balkan residents just love ajvar and practically take it personally when someone (who never tried ajvar before) tells them they don’t like it.
And this goes way beyond the objective quality of the sauce. We may argue that there are better condiments out there, but what we can’t argue about is that ajvar has one secret ingredient – the love of the Balkan people.
So, let this article be your go-to guide when it comes to ajvar. Maybe you heard about it from your Balkan friend, or you tried it somewhere and want to know more.
Whatever the case might be, in this article, we’ll cover everything there is to ajvar – what it is, how it’s made, its history, and possible alternative you can use (but let’s face it, original is always better).
First and foremost, let’s talk about what ajvar is. It’s often hard to explain this to someone who doesn’t come from the Balkan countries, but we’ll try to be as transparent as possible.
Ajvar is a condiment (a sauce or a spice) explicitly made from sweet red peppers and eggplants. If we’re talking about homemade ajvar, it’s often made of roasted red peppers and has a slightly different taste.
Ajvar became extremely popular throughout Yugoslavia after World War II – because it was easy to make and could mix with almost every dish that was common for traditional households.
The love towards ajvar grew as time passed, and even people in Greece and Eastern countries such as Russia recognized its quality and fantastic taste.
Ajvar is present almost everywhere, and some companies distribute it in the whole world. In western countries such as the US or Canada, it’s often considered a premium condiment.
Depending on the number of peppers and eggplants, there are different variants of ajvar. It can be traditional (sweet), piquant (the most common), or extremely hot.
We forgot to mention chili peppers – another ingredient that is almost always present in ajvar. Balkan people like their dishes hot, so that’s why they put chili in virtually any meal – especially ajvar.
Fun fact – “Homemade Leskovac Ajvar” and “Macedonian Ajvar” are registered in the World Intellectual Property Organization, and their names are protected as a brand.
Although ajvar is typical for Balkan countries, we have to give some credit to Turks for it. Many Balkan countries were under Turkish influence in the past, and therefore, some Turkish names stayed present. Ajvar is one of them.
Its name comes from the Turkish word “havyar.” Translated, “havyar” means “salted roe or caviar.”
Yeah, we know. Ajvar doesn’t have a lot in common with caviar, but hey, if you ask someone in the Balkans what they would choose between ajvar and caviar, we think we know what the answer would be.
When we said that ajvar could be mixed with many meals, we didn’t lie. It can go with almost all types of meat, mezze (a starter meal in the Balkan countries that contains “prosciutto (type of meat) and cheese,” and even pizza.
People have their preferences, and they mix ajvar with whatever they like. Ajvar goes along with any type of pastry as well.
