Ajvar – Balkan Red Pepper Dip

If you have ever had the chance to visit this area in Europe called Balkan, you most probably had the chance to try Ajvar. Ajvar is a red pepper sauce that can be used as a dip, sauce, condiment you name it. It’s versatile and most households will make enough and can it so it can last for few months.

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What is Ajvar?

Ajvar (pronounced Eye-Var) is a Red Pepper relish or sauce that can be used as a spread over pita or bread, sauce over pasta or condiment over any dish you like. Most Balkan countries not only have their variation of this sauce but they also often take credit that ajvar originated in their country.

The basics of the recipe are that you roast meaty red peppers and eggplant, peal them then blend. Slow cook for hours in olive oil and garlic, and add salt at the end.

How can such an easy recipe be controversial? Well, each household claims their way of roasting is the best or their ratio of red peppers to eggplant is the best, then someone else adds some spicy red chili to create a spicy meze and so on and so forth. Every recipe is amazing and everyone thinks their country’s recipe is the best and of course their mama’s recipe is even better:). Hope you got a quick glimpse of the Balkans with this!! 🙂

How to Make Ajvar?

To me, ajvar has to have a lot more red pepper than eggplant otherwise it tastes like an eggplant dip. Also, you have to use red peppers with a lot of meat in them, it makes the sauce taste better but also peppers are easier to peal after you cook them.

• Roasting Vegetables – Roast peppers and eggplant until their skin gets charred and air seeps in under the skin. This makes them easier to peel. You can grill the vegetables or roast them.

• Peeling Vegetables – Once peppers and eggplant are roasted, let them cool until you can handle them by hand. Peel and clean them from seeds. Place over a bowl or large plate, make sure to collect the juice from the red peppers. It helps with the sauce taste.

• Simmer Vegetables – see recipe card below for more details. You start by sauteing garlic in olive oil, then add blended red pepper and eggplant. Mix well to form a sauce, lower heat to simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for about 2 hrs in very low heat. You might want to add half cup of water if sauce is too thick when you start simmering.

• How to Serve Ajvar? – Well, the beauty of this sauce is that can be served with anything. Serve it as a dip with pita bread or celery, or pour it over your favorite pasta. I just enjoy it with some toasted bread and cheese. See one example below served with this homemade bread.

• Other ingredients – you can add a spicy red chili to make ajvar spicy. I currently make it non-spicy because of my kids. However, when I make a lot of it I split up a small pot and add the spice there so I can make at least 1 jar spicy. See below some other ingredients that are used across different regions.
  • Vinegar
  • Tomatoes
  • Lemon
• Storing – if you make 1-2 jars of ajvar, you don’t need to can it. Just pour in clean jars or containers, close them air tight and you can store them in the refrigerator for 7 days or so. However, if you’re making bigger quantities please use safe canning techniques to store ajvar properly.

If you would like to save this recipe for later, please pin the below image to Pinterest. Don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or tag me in social media if you made my recipe:). Thank you!!

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More Recipes from The Balkans

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I was born in Albania. So all my Balkan & Mediterranean recipes have the Albanian influence:).

• Albanian Stuffed Peppers
• Beans Soup in Pressure Cooker
• Pomegranate Raki Cocktail