Adjika is a hot, spicy but subtly flavoured paste
often used to flavour food in Georgia and in Abkhazia. It is based on a
boiled preparation of hot red peppers, garlic, and herbs and spices such
as coriander, dill, blue fenugreek (which is only found in mountain
regions such as the Alps or the Caucasus), and wallnut in the Abkhazian
variant.
It also exists in
a dry form. This looks like small red clumps mixed with a looser version
of the spice.
It is said to be either a Mingrelian, or an Abkhazian recipe. It is usually red,
though green adjika can be made with unripe peppers.
In appearance and consistency adjika resembles Italian red-pesto. The spiciness
varies from recipe to recipe; those acquainted with British-Asian curry styles
would probably rate a typical adjika as 'vindaloo strength'.
Home-made adjika is available from many market stalls in the Caucasus and in the
Krasnodar Krai of Russia. Different versions of adjika, sometimes having
tomatoes as main ingredient, are produced on commercial scale and sold in
supermarkets in Ukraine and Russia.Tomatoes are not
an ingredient of traditional adjika.
