Ćevapi (grilled minced meat fingers)Spoon ajvar beside the meat, or into the flatbread before the meat goes in.
Mixed grill platterSet one bowl of ajvar in the middle of the platter for everyone.
Pljeskavica (grilled meat patty)Spread it on the patty the way a burger gets ketchup.
Pork skewers (ražnjići)Slide the meat off the skewer and drag each piece through the ajvar.
Stew of barbecued meat and vegetables (mućkalica)Keep the ajvar on the side so each plate takes as much as it likes.
Cheese, cream and eggs 5
Cheese and chili spread (urnebes)Serve the two spreads together and let people mix them on the plate.
Fried eggsSpoon ajvar next to the eggs and dip the bread in both.
KajmakPut a spoonful of each side by side and take a little of both on the bread.
White brined cheese (sirene or feta)Crumble it over bread that is already spread with ajvar.
Yellow cheese (kashkaval)Lay a slice over the ajvar on warm bread so it softens.
Breads and pastries 10
Cheese and egg pie (gibanica)Put a spoonful beside a warm slice.
Cornbread (proja)Spread a warm square with ajvar and kajmak for breakfast.
Crescent rolls (kiflice)Split a roll and spread the inside.
Crusty white breadSpread it thickly on a fresh slice and eat it just like that.
Flaky filled pastry (burek)A little ajvar on the side cuts through the rich pastry.
Flatbread (lepinja or somun)Warm the bread, split it and spread ajvar inside.
Flatbread with kajmak and egg (komplet lepinja)Add a spoonful of ajvar on top just before you eat it.
Fried dough balls (uštipci)Serve them hot with ajvar and white cheese for dipping.
Pogača breadTear off a piece while it is warm and dip it in the jar.
Spinach and cheese pieServe a wedge at room temperature with ajvar for dipping.
Stirred in or spooned over 3
Mince and potato casserole (moussaka)Spoon cold ajvar over a hot square.
Pasta tossed with ajvarStir it through hot pasta as the sauce and finish with white cheese.
Rice stirred with ajvarFold a spoonful through hot rice to color and season it.
Onion, beans, salad and other sides 5
Bean stew or soup (pasulj)Serve ajvar and bread on the side, or stir a spoonful into the bowl.
Chopped raw onionScatter it over the meat and let the ajvar sit beside it.
Shopska saladA cold salad next to the grill keeps the plate fresh.
Smoked beef (suho meso)Slice it thin and lay it on bread spread with ajvar.
Zucchini frittersUse ajvar as the dip.
Drinks without alcohol 3
Blueberry juiceThin it with cold water for the table.
Drinking yogurtPour a cold glass with grilled meat or pastry; it calms a hot ajvar.
Rosehip teaServe it hot and unsweetened after a plate from the grill.
How it works
What to eat with ajvar starts where the pepper relish is at home: grilled meat, flatbread and kajmak. These 31 ideas add breads and pastries to spread it on, cheese, eggs, beans and dishes to stir it into.
Read the full guide
What do you eat with ajvar?
Ajvar is eaten as a spread on bread or as a side dish. In the Balkans it goes with ćevapi, grilled fingers of minced meat served in flatbread with chopped onion and kajmak, and with pljeskavica, a grilled meat patty. Proja, a cornbread, is a usual breakfast with kajmak and ajvar.
Beyond the grill
Pasulj, a bean stew, is typically served with sour cream or ajvar and bread. Urnebes, a spread of white cheese and hot peppers, is another side for grilled meat, so the two can share a plate. Ajvar can be sweet, piquant or very hot. Put something cool next to a hot one.
Give ajvar a small bowl and a spoon of its own. It is a relish to take a little of, not a sauce to pour.
Questions and answers
What bread goes with ajvar?
Lepinja or somun, the soft flatbreads of the grill, or any crusty white loaf. For dipping, try uštipci, which are fried dough balls, or pieces torn from a loaf of pogača.
What cheese goes with ajvar?
Kajmak, a creamy dairy food much like clotted cream, is served beside ajvar with grilled meat and at breakfast. A white brined cheese such as sirene or feta is an everyday choice, and yellow kashkaval is a third.
What meat goes with ajvar?
Grilled meat above all. Besides ćevapi and pljeskavica, try ražnjići, which are chunks of meat grilled on skewers, a mixed grill, or mućkalica, a Serbian stew of barbecued meat and vegetables.
What can you make with ajvar?
Stir it through hot pasta as you would a pepper sauce, or fold a spoonful into rice. It also goes over a square of moussaka, the mince and potato casserole common through the Balkans.