Directions
Macedonian Ajvar – The king of the winter traditional food and a taste that the winter months cannot be imagined.
Also known as Macedonian caviar because it is a real challenge to prepare it, which requires many hours and attention until the final result and degustation.
It is prepared from the variety of peppers known as “red gate” in the period of the end of August and the month of September, and it is one of my favorites, because of the memories and companionship with the loved ones while it is being prepared.
The authentic taste of “Ajvar” has origins from Macedonia and all the surrounding countries of the Balkans prepare it with a difference in the ingredients they add additionally such as garlic, vinegar, eggplant or tomatoes, while the original Macedonian recipe consists of only 4 ingredients.
In the nineties of the last century after product branding started, a company from Slovenia tried to protect ajvar as its own product, and one of the biggest producers of ajvar from Croatia is Podravka, while Leskovac is the main center of ajvar production in Serbia, but this real delicacy, which is used more and more in the world, is prepared in many households all over the Balkan countries.
History says that ajvar was prepared most often in the city’s rich Macedonian families because sunflower oil was a very expensive product in that period, and the preparation required additional costs such as wood for roasting the peppers, large amounts of red pepper, time and attention from many hours, baking, peeling and boiling with constant stirring are all in order to get the truly desired delicious product without error, which is why it was called Macedonian caviar because it was an expensive product. 
Every housewife prepares the tastiest ajvar, and there is a real Balkan fight over whose ajvar is the tastiest.
The taste habit that we grow up with in the family is one of the reasons why we measure the tastes of the one that suits us when tasting the end product of other countries and households.
Any product that is healthy and with benefits for our health should be accepted without thinking, even more so if the taste is attractive and can be combined in many ways and in many meals.
How healthy is Ajvar?
It is rich in vitamin A which is retained during the cooking and roasting of the peppers, this very vitamin is considered an active antioxidant, it is an excellent source of vegetable fibers or about 5 grams, there are about 150 calories per 100 grams of ajvar, only 10 grams of fat from which 2 grams are saturated, about 10 grams of carbohydrates, about 5 grams of sugar, 5 grams of protein, contains vitamin C, B6 and magnesium, and is a really healthy spread that can be combined with many other flavors.
If you find a free weekend I highly recommend you prepare it and enjoy its taste for many months during the winter.
Preparation and ingredients according to an authentic Macedonian recipe
80 kg of red pepper
3-4 liters of oil (sunflower or olive oil)
200 grams of kosher salt
150 g of granulated sugar
Preparation
Wash the red pepper well under running water and wipe it dry during baking. Choose healthy peppers and roast them well on all sides.
Put each roasted pepper in a strainer covered with a plastic bag to soften them nicely and drain the excess liquid from them so that there is less water and shorten the cooking process.
Remove the seeds and skin from each pepper.
Then grind them in a meat grinder, electric or manual, and add them to a large pot on fire to cook.
It is very important to add the ground peppers without oil at the beginning so that the juice from the peppers evaporates nicely.
The time required to start boiling process for peppers for large quantities is from half an hour to an hour, depending on how strong the fire is and how much juice the peppers contain.
At the beginning of cooking, a lot of steam is created, which decreases during the cooking process.
After some time, after the whole mixture of peppers has boiled, start by adding the oil.
The oil need to be added gradually on several occasions with constantly stirring so as not to burn.
Boiling can last several hours. For large quantities like 80 kg of peppers, it takes about 4 hours, maybe more, depending on the juiciness of the pepper.
At the end, add the salt and the sugar. Taste it if is good.
When the mixture leaves a mark at the bottom of the pot while stirring, then the ajvar is ready.
The finished Ajvar transfer to a jars while it is still hot.
Jars should be well washed and sterile, and before filling they should be warm.
To sterilize the jars, after washing, I recommend that you leave them together with the lids in the oven at 150 degrees for 115 minutes.
Close the sterilized jars like this and before filling, warm them on the stove where you boiled the ajvar.
Hot ajvar need to be placed in a hot jar and the jars need to be immediately sealed to vacuum. 
Let them cool and store them in a cool place during the winter. The real taste of ajvar we enjoyed with slice of bread and salty cow or sheep cheese.
My recommendation is to add a fried egg on top of the bread spread with ajvar, with a soft yolk and slices of fried bacon.
It is great choice for a cold winter days when you need some calories to warm your body.
Ajvar is great as appetizer for many parties and occasion with dear friends and families.
Have a great appetite and enjoy in the taste of Macedonian Tradition!
