🫑 Ajvar

Name: Ajvar
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Balkans · North Macedonia and Serbia
Ingredients: 2 kg red bell peppers; 1 large eggplant (about 400 g); 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 100 ml olive oil; 1 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; Salt, and chili flakes if you like it hot

Origin: Balkans · North Macedonia and Serbia

38kcal

per serving · 50 g

75kcal

per 100 g

1 gProtein1.5 g / 100 g

3 gFat5.5 g / 100 g

2 gCarbs5 g / 100 g

Ajvar is a Balkan relish of roasted red peppers and eggplant, slowly cooked down with garlic and olive oil into a thick, smoky-sweet spread. Its texture ranges from smooth to chunky, and it can be mild or hot. It is spread on bread, served beside grilled meats and cheeses, or eaten as a side with almost any meal, especially in autumn when it is made in big batches.

Diets

✓

Vegetarianno meat or fish in a typical recipe

✓

Veganno meat, fish or animal products in a typical recipe

✓

No pork

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Keto-friendly5 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.

What it is made of

red bell peppereggplantgarlicolive oil

Recipe

8 servings120 min

Ingredients

2 kg red bell peppers
1 large eggplant (about 400 g)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
100 ml olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Salt, and chili flakes if you like it hot

Method

Roast the peppers and eggplant whole under a hot grill or on a barbecue, turning, until the skins are blackened all over (about 25 minutes).
Put them in a covered bowl for 15 minutes, then peel, remove the pepper seeds and drain the flesh in a colander for 30 minutes.
Chop or mince the vegetables finely.
Cook them in a heavy pan with the oil, added a little at a time, stirring often, for 40–50 minutes until thick and glossy.
Stir in the garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt and chili for the last 5 minutes. Cool and keep in clean jars in the fridge.

How to make it lighter

Most of the energy comes from the oil — cutting it to 50 ml still gives a rich spread; 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
Use it as a dip for raw cucumber, carrot and pepper sticks.
A 2-tablespoon portion adds a lot of flavour to grilled chicken or vegetables for very few calories.

History

Ajvar is a traditional preserve across the former Yugoslavia, particularly in North Macedonia and Serbia, where families roast large quantities of peppers each autumn to make jars for winter. The name is usually traced through Turkish to a word for caviar. Today it is sold in jars throughout the Balkans and beyond.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →