Abkhaz adjika. Recipe

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

For the preparation of many dishes, marinades, sauces, and also as a separate seasoning, the peoples of the Caucasus widely use a spicy and fragrant pasty seasoning - Abkhazian adjika. Its recipe varies depending on the area. As a rule, in the latitudes of the middle zone, adjika is considered to be mashed potatoes made from mashed tomatoes, apples, garlic and herbs - this is the so-called homemade adjika.

It is usually consumed by spreading it on a slice of bread, as a condiment, as an appetizer, for main courses. In the traditional sense of gourmets, Abkhazian adjika (a recipe for Caucasian cuisine) is a product that has little in common with the seasoning that European housewives are accustomed to. It has a sharp taste and a powerful strong aroma, so it is used in cooking in a fairly small amount. Almost half of the second courses, soups, sauces of southern cuisine contain one or another amount of the Abkhazian adjika seasoning. Its recipe is simple, but such well-known delicacies as tobacco chicken, satsivi, kavardak, shish kebab, lobio and many othersdishes without it seem bland and tasteless. And the glory of the Caucasian seasoning rumbles far beyond the borders of the region.

Abkhaz adjika. Cooking recipe

The word "adjika" in translation from Abkhazian means s alt. It was she who previously acted as the main ingredient of the seasoning.

In ancient times, going to walk sheep in mountain pastures, shepherds took s alt with them. Animals love her very much, at the same time she causes a strong thirst, which the animals extinguish by abundantly eating juicy meadow grass and drinking water from mountain streams. Plentiful drink and nutrition have a beneficial effect on the weight of cattle, which over the summer work up the required weight. However, the owners of the flocks, knowing that s alt is a rather valuable product, fearing its theft by their workers, mixed pepper into it, thus making it unsuitable for resale or personal use. Then the shepherds began to add their spices to it, such as cilantro, hops, and garlic. This is how the prototype of the modern seasoning "adjika Abkhazian classic" appeared. The recipe for its preparation today is as follows. Pods of hot red pepper are taken weighing one kilogram. It must be prepared - cut and cleaned of internal partitions and seeds.

Abkhaz adjika, the recipe of which is given in the article, will be less spicy if the pepper is pre-soaked, pouring warm water. For a more burning result, it is enough to dry it. After that, pepper, along with 5-6 heads of garlic, herbs - cilantro, dill and basil - andcrushed walnut kernels (about half a glass) are turned several times in a food processor or in a meat grinder until a fine, almost homogeneous mass is obtained. The nut in this case will help "bind" the pepper juice, making the mass more viscous.

Also, walnut oil with a slight bitterness will improve the taste of the seasoning and help increase the shelf life. Next, a tablespoon of finely ground coriander seeds and coarse rock s alt (to taste) are added to the adjika. Ready adjika is packaged in sterilized jars and stored in the refrigerator.

By the way, in the past, when there were no meat grinders or other kitchen appliances, all the ingredients for adjika were ground between two cobblestones. This contributed not only to the ideal consistency, but also to the preservation of essential oils emitted by all the ingredients used in the recipe, which made adjika even more fragrant and he althy.