To prepare many dishes, marinades, sauces, as well as as a separate seasoning, the peoples of the Caucasus widely use an acute and aromatic pasta-like seasoning - the Abkhazian Adzhika. Its recipe varies depending on the locality. As a rule, in the latitudes of the middle band of ajika, it is customary to consider mash-mash from grated tomatoes, apples, garlic and herbs - this is the so-called home adzhika. It is usually consumed by spreading on a loaf of bread, as a seasoning, snacks, to second courses. In the traditional sense of gourmet, Abkhaz adzhika (a recipe for Caucasian cuisine) is a product that has little in common with the seasoning that European housewives are accustomed to. It is distinguished by its sharp taste and powerful strong aroma, therefore it is used in the preparation of dishes in a rather small amount. Almost half of the second dishes, soups, sauces of southern cuisine contain this or that quantity of seasoning "Abkhazian Adjika". Its recipe is simple, but such well-known goodies like chicken, satsivi, mess, shish kebab, lobio and many other dishes without it seem insipid and tasteless. And the glory of the Caucasian seasoning rattles far beyond the borders of the region.
The Abkhaz Adzhika. Recipe.
The word "adjika" in translation from Abkhaz means salt. It was she who previously acted as the main ingredient in the seasoning.
In ancient times, going for the sheep to the mountain pastures, shepherds took salt with them. Animals are very fond of it, at the same time it causes a strong thirst, which animals extinguish by eating abundantly juicy meadow grass and washing down with water from mountain streams. Abundant drink and nutrition have a beneficial effect on the weight of cattle, which for the summer pours the right amount. However, the owners of flocks, knowing that salt is a very valuable product, for fear of its theft by its employees, peppered it, making it thus unsuitable for resale or personal use. Then shepherds began to add to it and their spices, such as coriander, hops, garlic. Thus appeared the prototype of the modern seasoning "Adjika Abkhazian Classical". The recipe for its preparation today looks like this. Pods of hot red pepper weighing one kilogram are taken. It must be prepared - cut and cleaned of internal partitions and seeds.
The Abkhazian Adjika, the recipe of which is given in the article, will be less acute if the pepper is pre-soaked, the bay with warm water. For a more burning result, it is enough to wax it. After that, pepper together with 5-6 heads of garlic, greens - coriander, dill and basil - and crushed walnut kernels (about half a glass) are rotated several times in a food processor or in a meat grinder to obtain a shallow, almost homogeneous mass. Nut in this case will help "tie" the pepper juice, making the mass more viscous. In addition, walnut oil with a light bitter taste will improve the flavoring qualities of the seasoning and will help extend shelf life. Next to adzhika add a tablespoon of finely ground coriander grains and large rock salt (to taste). Ready Adjika is packaged in sterilized cans and stored in the refrigerator.
By the way, in the past, when there were no meat grinders, no other kitchen appliances, all the ingredients for adzhika were rubbed between two cobbles. This contributed not only to the ideal consistency, but also to the preservation of the essential oils released by all the ingredients used in the recipe, which made the adjika even more fragrant and useful.