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Balkan

Ajvar

Vegetarian

Ајвар · Ajvar

A smoky, silky relish of roasted red peppers and aubergine slowly cooked down with oil, garlic and a little vinegar — made in big batches every autumn across the Balkans.

Ajvar is a Balkan condiment, ready in about 2 hours 15 minutes and made with red bell pepper and eggplant. It serves 16 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Ajvar
Photo: Off-shell / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
1 h 30 min
Rest
15 min
Total
2 h 15 min
Serves
16
Level
Intermediate
Calories
85

Ingredients

16 servings (about 700 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Roast the whole peppers and aubergine (opens in a new tab) on trays in a very hot oven (opens in a new tab) (or over a grill) until the skins are blackened and the flesh is soft, turning once.

    A tray of food roasting in the oven
    How it looks · Photo: locrifa on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Put the hot vegetables in a covered bowl for 15 minutes until the skins loosen, then peel off the skins and discard the seeds and stalks. Drain off the bitter juices.

    • 20 min

  3. Step 3

    Mince the flesh finely or pulse briefly in a food processor (opens in a new tab) — keep some texture.

  4. Step 4

    Cook the purée in a wide heavy pan with the garlic (opens in a new tab), stirring, and gradually add the oil. Keep cooking and stirring until thick, glossy and spreadable.

    It is ready when a spoon dragged through it leaves a clear trail.

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the vinegar, sugar (opens in a new tab), salt and chilli and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes more until glossy, then spoon into clean jars and cover with a thin layer of oil.

About this dish

Origin
Serbia · Origin disputedClaimed by Serbia and North Macedonia, and made throughout the former Yugoslavia.Also popular in Croatia, BulgariaMore food from Serbia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Dips & spreads
Cooking method
Roasted, Simmered
Taste
smoky, sweet & savoury, rich, mild
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Batch cooking · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Red bell pepper · Eggplant · Garlic · White vinegar · Sugar
Techniques
Roasting · Simmering

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

85 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 44 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 6%
  • Carbohydrate 34%
  • Fat 60%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy85 kcal194 kcal
Protein1.3 g2.9 g
Carbohydrate7.8 g17.9 g
Net carbohydrate5 g11.4 g
Sugars5.2 g11.9 g
Added sugars0.3 g0.6 g
Fibre2.8 g6.5 g
Fat6.1 g13.9 g
Saturated fat0.6 g1.5 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium223 mg510 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g1.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
265 mg
Calcium
11 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
15 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
147 µg
Vitamin C
121 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
49 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: red chilli flakes.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Peeling is easiest while the peppers are still warm.

Common mistakes

  • Stopping the cooking too early gives a watery relish that won't keep.

Serve with

  • Serve with grilled meats, bread and white cheese, or as a sandwich spread.

Food safety

  • Vegetables and garlic under oil are a botulism risk at room temperature: keep ajvar refrigerated unless it is processed in a boiling-water bath following a tested canning method.
  • Use a clean spoon each time to keep the jar from spoiling.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in clean jars for up to 2 weeks (topped with a layer of oil), or freeze for 6 months.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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