Homemade adjika: a burning recipe for the winter

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Adjika is a native Abkhazian dish with a rich history. It originated many centuries ago among the shepherds who went to the pastures along with the flock, and was called apyrpyl-adjika, or adjiktsattsa, which meant “pepper s alt.”

Do not be surprised by this name, because since ancient times, homemade adjika has been prepared on the basis of ordinary table s alt with the addition of garlic, cilantro, suneli hops and many other spicy Caucasian spices. Later, when this amazing dish became known to the Slavic peoples living nearby and spread even further, its name was cut down to "adjika", and the composition was enriched with the addition of tomatoes. However, it was originally used as a seasoning for meat or fish, first courses and even desserts. It had a sharp spicy taste due to Caucasian herbs and hot red pepper, but the delicate Slavic stomachs were not accustomed to such food, and therefore replaced its composition to give the seasoning a sweetish-s alty taste with a pleasant tomato aroma. They began to prepare it for the winter, and homemade adjika has already become a familiar dish for the post-Soviet space and beyond. Now heradded mainly to second courses as a sauce or to salads as a dressing.

Classic recipe

Preparing adjika at home is a very simple process, which will require 1 kg of tomatoes, 3-4 Bulgarian and 5-6 pods of hot red pepper, 3 medium apples, a head of garlic and s alt. We thoroughly wash all the ingredients, clean them from the legs, but leave the seeds so that our homemade adjika acquires its usual consistency and a beautiful fiery red color with white patches. Then we cut the tomatoes and apples into 4 parts and grind them into puree separately from each other. This can be done with a meat grinder or blender. At the same time, cut both types of peppers into slices directly with seeds, mix in one cup, add garlic and also grind to a mushy state.

We combine both blanks together, and to make our homemade adjika soft and delicate in taste, cook it over low heat for 3 hours. Then transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator. Such homemade adjika will delight you all winter with its spicy taste, enriching other dishes you have prepared. Since homemade adjika is extremely rich in vitamins, it will also help you protect your he alth throughout the cold season. The main thing is to calculate its quantity when harvesting.

Special option

There are other ways to cook homemade adjika. Carrots, vinegar and sugar are added to it.to replace the sweet and sour taste of apples, or use all these products together. To increase the spiciness, you can cook it with onions, mashed into a homogeneous puree. Also in Abkhazia there is a special recipe for this dish, which is served with dairy dishes, for example, cheese or sour milk, and it is called “green” homemade adjika. It is prepared from cilantro (0.5 kg), herbs in equal proportions: dill, basil, mint and savory, as well as s alt and green pepper. Everything is ground to a homogeneous gruel and rolled into jars.