Balkan Roasted Red Pepperand Eggplant Spread
Ajvar: the world-famous Balkan roasted red pepper and eggplant relish. Smokey, deep, rich. Unforgettable.
Even if you know very little about Balkan cuisine, you probably heard someone mention, ajvar (pronounced “AY-vahr”).
Ajvar is a relish (spread, preserve) made primarily with eggplants and red, bull’s horn sweet peppers, called so due to their long, thick, pointy appearance reminiscent of a horn.
These peppers are known as “roge” in the region.
Your best bet is to look for these peppers at the farmer’s market. If you can’t find them, go for regular bell peppers. They must be the red kind though.
Ajvar’s sometimes referred to as chutney. But every chutney I’ve ever had had been sweet. Like jam or marmalade. And while ajvar can, and often does have sweet undertones, it more closely falls under the relish or spread category.
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