What are we usually accustomed to associate with the culinary delights of Caucasian cuisine? Shish kebab and chakhokhbili, lobio and kharcho, many and many other national dishes. And you must admit, one of the main conditions for some of them is impeccable sharpness! Here the most common seasoning is Caucasian adjika. The recipe for its preparation, it should be noted, is radically different from what this word means the vast majority of Russian housewives. Jam, slightly spicy (or salad - call it what you want) from tomatoes, sweet Bulgarian pepper, apples and carrots, prepared in large quantities for the winter, of course, is very tasty, but has nothing to do with a seasoning called Caucasian adjika. The recipe for its preparation is not too complicated, but it includes garlic, herbs and salt, and also hot hot pepper in such an amount that it just doesn’t work with spoons. Let us and we will try to cook it according to the rules of the national cuisine of the Caucasus.
A bit of history
According to one of the main versions of the etymology of origin, the word itself came from the Abkhazian “salt”. And the history of Caucasian adjika seasoning (the recipe with a photo will be given below) is quite trivial. Shepherds grazing livestock in the mountains were always given salt for animals, which would make the sheep thirsty, making them drink and feed intensely, feeding their weight and fat. And in those days, salt as a product was a rather expensive pleasure. It was valued not only by its weight in gold, but not by anyone it could afford. So that shepherds do not steal salt, but use it specifically for animals, as it were for their intended purpose, the owners began to mix hot and hot pepper with salt. But the shepherds even behaved quite cunningly and began to use pepper salt as a seasoning, adding mountain herbs to it to soften it. So, according to legend, Caucasian adjika. The recipe at that time was limited to a dry option as a powder for many meat and vegetable dishes. From aromatic herbs, coriander and parsley, hops and uzo-suneli, fennel and coriander, garlic and other spices traditional for the Caucasus were added. The composition could vary depending on the area of preparation and on the personal preferences of the highland cook. In Abkhazia, the mixture obtained in this way was called “pepper salt” or “adjikttsattsa” - salt rubbed with herbs. Later, the so-called wet versions appeared, which have been successfully used as seasoning to this day.
Adjika Caucasian. Recipe
Raw adjika in the Caucasus is used with meat and vegetable, fruit dishes, even with melon! It is worth noting that it is also used as the basis for some Abkhaz sauces. But this is not sauce or ketchup. Proper adjika has a pasty consistency, it can be stored for a long time without compromising taste and quality. Compliance with the proportions in the manufacture is of paramount importance: hot pepper should be from a third to half in volume.
Ingredients
We will need: a whole kilogram of burning fire pepper, slightly dried, two heads of garlic, two tablespoons of coriander seeds, 100 grams of coarse rock salt. Seasonings: hops-suneli, fenugreek, Imereti saffron - on a large spoon. It is also customary to add a little wine vinegar, as well as a small amount of crushed walnut kernels (but the last two ingredients are introduced, rather, at will, than without fail).
Preparatory work
And now we proceed directly to the preparation of such a seasoning as Caucasian adjika. The recipe, as usual, begins with the preparatory work. Highlanders used to rub paste between two flat-shaped stones. Of course, we will not follow their example: although in some kitchens such ancient appliances can be found as accessories or decorations. It is best to use a mortar - ceramic or stone. And if it’s completely modern, then a blender. And red pepper, which is distinguished by its hotness and spiciness, for several days needs to be laid out on a dish or baking sheet and put in the heat or on the sunny side so that it slightly fades. At least, so do the mistresses in the Abkhaz villages.
Step cooking
- Adjika Caucasian burning is rather easy to prepare. The recipe begins with peeling peppers from the stalk and seeds. At the same time, if you want to get a particularly sharp product, then the seeds can be left.
- Grind the pepper together with the peeled garlic cloves (for example, in a blender) until a homogeneous paste is obtained.
- There we add spices and herbs selected for the preparation of the product so that Caucasian adjika (burning this recipe from sunny Abkhazia) is as homogeneous as possible. You can do the same procedure in a mortar, just then it will take a longer time.
- We spread the mass in a ceramic or glass container of the appropriate volume prepared in advance. We introduce rock salt (not fine!) And carefully knead everything. You can optionally add a little wine vinegar or pomegranate juice (a couple of spoons), a spoonful of crushed walnuts.
- Knead again until pasty thick state. So delicious and spicy adjika Caucasian is ready.
Useful Tips
- You can cook this popular Caucasian seasoning not only from red, but also from green hot pepper.
- A more fluid version of adjika is prepared with tomatoes, although they are not included in the main classic recipe. By the way, most of the store and bazaar are prepared that way.
- If you want, on the contrary, to reduce the sharpness, sweet red bell pepper is added to the ingredients to tone the taste, and crushed walnuts.
- It is best to make adjika not with bare hands, but wearing gloves, since the sharpness of the pepper will be washed from unprotected fingers for a long time.
Conservation
In fact, raw adjika itself is well stored. It is enough to put it in jars and close it tightly - it can even stand at the bottom of the refrigerator until spring, where the temperature is slightly above zero. Want to keep Caucasian adjika even longer? The winter recipe is a little different. The ingredients remain the same (unless you can add a pound of tomatoes for forest acid and reduce the amount of salt). Put the mass, prepared as in the original recipe, into the pan, after boiling, cook over the smallest fire (it should gurgle, not boil) and constantly stir with a wooden spatula, otherwise it will burn!
The process lasts no more than 10 minutes, after which it is laid out in small glass jars, sterilized and rolled up. Caucasian adjika (recipe for winter) is ready for longer storage, for example, in a kitchen cabinet.