I've been addicted to Trader Joe's red pepper spread since Stephanie recommended it, but it wasn't until a friend returned home from Eastern Europe with a jar of ajvar that I realized this chunky mix of roasted red peppers and eggplant is actually a traditional Serbian dish. Added bonus: it isn't too difficult to make from scratch!
In Serbia, autumn is ajvar-making season, when the red peppers are harvested. Mounds of them are smoked over open fires alongside eggplants, and everyone pitches in to help peel the piles of roasted peppers. Mixed with the roasted eggplant, garlic, olive oil and vinegar, the peppers become a spreadable mash of smoky, sweet and garlicky goodness.
As long as you aren't trying to put up enough jars to last you through winter, ajvar doesn't take long to make, and the recipe is easily tweaked to your tastes. The resulting spread is endlessly adaptable — use it as a sandwich spread, a sauce for meat or fish, a dipping sauce for bread or crudite — and very addictive.
NPR's Kitchen Window published a great base recipe for ajvar, along with a little background on ajvar season in Serbia.
• Get the recipe: Fall Brings Red Peppers and Ajvar - NPR
Have you ever tried ajvar?
Related: Tangy, Zesty, Lemony: 5 Summer Recipes with Chermoula
(Images: Flickr member Vesna Middelkoop licensed under Creative Commons; Flickr member markovskavesna licensed under Creative Commons)
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Whenever I see this at the supermarket, I grab a jar of mild and a jar of hot. Best sandwich spread ever.
I was introduced to this by a Korean grocer running what had been an Italian deli (still sold many Italian specialties). He told me it was an Eastern European spread "that all the Koreans and Italians like." Thank you, Grocer Guy. Really good call.
it's actually a traditional dish made all across former Yugoslavia and eastern Europe, with slight variations depending on where it comes from. Ajvar from Slovenia (where my family is from) sometimes has paprika, and I've had ajvar from Turkey that's super hot and spicy.
It's always served as a side for another Yugoslav specialty, cevapcici (or cevapi in Bosnia), tasty little minced meat rolls that are usually grilled: http://www.foodieprints.com/item/250
The Trader Joes roasted red pepper spread is good in a pinch, but nowhere near as good as authentic ajvar!
Gahhhhh! I LOVE ajvar. I often buy the jars of it and find they really range in flavor and spiciness as @abevk mentions above depending on whether it's Bulgarian, Bosnian, etc. as the versions I've tasted have been.
I like it spicy and with olive oil. Lots of the jarred versions use safflower oil instead. Does anyone know if there's a particular chile most people use for the spicy version, or if the spice typically comes from spicy Hungarian paprika, or if folks just use the dried red pepper flakes mentioned in the linked recipe?
@lotusmoss, I usually find the Bulgarian version in my supermarket (Associated) and it's seasoned with paprika. It also has barely any oil, which may be different from other versions.
My favorite is spicy ajvar with cheese. If you have the plain, though, it is dreamy with feta or goat cheese.
I have been looking a for a recipe for the Trader Joe's eggplant spread as well.
At my middle eastern market there are about a dozen different brands and styles of ajvar but I've not tried any yet. Anyone have a favorite to recommend?
you are probably going to get more than a few comments about how ajvar is not a Serbian dish. Or at least not Serbian alone...it's eaten throughout former Yugoslavia and other slavic nations. Some people will find the suggestion that it is Serbian offensive.
I was really excited to see the coverage this great dish got in this post.
If anyone tries to make it but only gets as far as roasting the peppers, Deb at Smitten Kitchen posted a great recipe with roasted peppers and mozzarella yesterday!
@JNS, while there are regional variations (eg. in Macedonia, there's one for those long-ish green peppers and eggplants), even wikipedia explains the dish is Serbian.
Ajvar (pronounced "eye-var") is also a staple in Macedonia, where peppers dry along fences in the fall and most families dedicate a weekend (or more) to roasting, peeling, and preparing it in huge batches. I love the spicy take on ajvar, "lutenitsa." Great paired with homemade bread and a cold hunk of cirenje, a feta-like cheese.
Hi - I wrote the ajvar column for NPR's Kitchen Window and I'm delighted more people are wanting to make ajvar at home. As I mention in my piece - it's a dish enjoyed *all across the Balkans*. In my world, food is about bringing people together, not about dwelling on contested geo-political frameworks. So roast your peppers, mince your garlic and get your ajvar on - then share it with as many people from as many nations & territories as you possibly can.
Yes! I lived in Bosnia for 3 months and I quickly discovered Ajvar. That stuff is amazing!