Ajvar is a traditional Serbian spread, the most famous is Leskovac ajvar, but it is made throughout the Balkans with various additions. This delicious pepper and tomato paste/salad has a long history and widespread popularity. The origin of the word “ajvar” comes from the Turkish term “havyar”, which means caviar, hence the name “Serbian vegetable caviar”. Ajvar has a rich and aromatic taste, and is often used as a side dish, sauce or spread.

The preparation of ajvar is quite demanding, it is made from carefully selected peppers that are first roasted, then peeled and ground and finally cooked with special additives… garlic, eggplant, spices, oil, vinegar. Ajvar can be mild or hot, depending on the amount of hot peppers added. In Serbia, it is prepared in autumn, when paprika is at its best. It is prepared in almost every house and eaten throughout the year.

It is a favorite side dish at all festive tables. It is most often used as a side dish with roasted meats, as
a spread on bread, but also as a filling for various pastries.

Ajvar is a trademark of Serbian traditional cuisine.

The Magic Bites team

Ajvar je tradicionalni srpski namaz, najpoznatiji je Leskovački ajvar, ali se pravi na prostoru čitavog Balkana uz različite dodatke. Ova ukusna pasta/salata od paprike i paradajza ima dugu istoriju i široku popularnost. Poreklo reči “ajvar” dolazi od turskog izraza “havyar”, što znači kavijar, pa odatle naziv “srpski kavijar od povrća”. Ajvar ima bogat i aromatičan ukus, te se često koristi kao prilog, umak ili namaz.

Priprema ajvara je dosta zahtevna, pravi se od pažljivo odabranih paprika koje se prvo peku, zatim oljušte i melju i na kraju kuvaju sa posebnim dodacima… beli luk, plavi patlidžan, začini, ulje, sirće. Ajvar može biti blag ili ljut, u zavisnosti od količine dodatih ljutih paprika. U Srbiji se priprema u jesen, tada je najbolja paprika. Priprema se gotovo u svim kućama I jede tokom čitave godine.

Omiljeni je prilog na svim slavskim trpezama. Najčešće se koristi kao prilog uz pečena mesa, kao namaz na hleb, ali I kao punjenje za razna peciva.

Ajvar je zaštitni znak srpske tradicionalne kuhinje.

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