{"id":84617,"date":"2022-12-23T11:04:25","date_gmt":"2022-12-23T10:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/?p=84617"},"modified":"2023-02-13T16:04:43","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T15:04:43","slug":"to-love-someone-as-much-as-you-love-ajvar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/to-love-someone-as-much-as-you-love-ajvar\/","title":{"rendered":"‘To love someone as much as you love ajvar’"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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How pickles and ajvar are getting us through an inflationary winter.<\/b><\/h4>
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\u201cYou\u2019re eating, but you aren\u2019t. You aren\u2019t eating, but you\u2019re full. You\u2019re full, but you can have some more! Some call it Serbian caviar, but I think that underestimates ajvar. Caviar is aristocratic, but ajvar is the food of the people. It’s on the table of the residents of Lebane [in southern Serbia] and the residents of Belgrade Waterfront.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This is how Miodrag Sto\u0161i\u0107 from southern Serbia begins the story of ajvar \u2014 the region\u2019s most popular type of preserved food.<\/span><\/p>

Beyond ajvar, which is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about winter food preserves, some other pantry favorites are pickled cucumbers, pickled mixed salad, sauerkraut, minced tomatoes, pickled or roasted peppers \u2014 all of which require the input of enormous effort and memories in each ja<\/span>r. It g<\/span>ives security, dispelling concerns about what to eat during the winter months. It preserves the summer and fall flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables for a while longer. And then there is the sense of tradition, as well as the love and pride, when you have the first taste of pickles or ajvar that you’ve made yourself.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m from Vladi\u010din Han, where preserving food for winter come fall is as essential as breathing. The smell of roasting peppers announces ‘act three’ of the year and it’s hard to avoid,” said Sto\u0161i\u0107. “Fortunately, every household has an oven for roasting, so people don\u2019t have to steal traffic signs to have something to roast peppers on. Winter preserves are usually used as side dishes \u2014 unless you\u2019re vegetarian.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI hope we don\u2019t get to that point where times are so hard that pickles turn into main courses,” he continued. “At any rate, preserving food reflects independence and creates the impression that we can prepare ourselves for what\u2019s ahead.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Unfortunately, the dark days of winter have already come, bringing inflation and price increases. In October, when home canning and jarring is usually well underway, the inflation rate in Serbia reached 15%. And making quality preserves requires money, as Sto\u0161i\u0107 says.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Every jar made with love. Photo: Jelena Bo\u017ei\u0107 \/ K2.0.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cThe money isn’t too much and it pays off in the long run, but in times when even strawberries are bought individually, it’s not easy to buy, say, a few sacks of peppers and all the other ajvar ingredients. If you want to prepare a lot of preserves, well, that\u2019s not gonna work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

In the Lazi\u0107 family from Valjevo, the late Grandpa Lazi\u0107 used to be in charge of preparing winter preserves, especially ajvar. He would buy peppers and other vegetables from a wholesale vendor. According to Marko Lazi\u0107, the youngest family member, Grandpa did everything on his own \u2014 he would roast peppers on their garden stove and then mince them. But for years now they haven’t been making preserves.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt turns out that it\u2019s a very pricey endeavor,\u201d the younger Lazi\u0107 said. \u201cIf you stick to the recipe and use all the necessary ingredients, a jar of homemade winter preserves is several times more expensive than store-bought. Yes, quality is on the side of homemade, but it simply does pay off anymore. The preparation process is onerous and, above all, expensive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt saddens me that we had to give up on it. It was a family activity where every single of us was included in some way and in the end we’d enjoy good food,\u201d he said, adding that along with ajvar they regularly made sauerkraut, pickles and sweet homemade jams.<\/span><\/p>

As for tricks, Lazi\u0107 said they didn’t have any secrets except for the most important thing \u2014 buying good homegrown vegetables. Nothing comes of the produce from the supermarket.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThough it\u2019s usually red, ajvar is evergreen. It\u2019s a taste of childhood that lasts an entire life.\u201d Photo: Jelena Bo\u017ei\u0107 \/ K2.0.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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However, this turbulent year marked by soaring inflation prompted some people to try their hand at food preservation for the very first time. Ivana Jokovi\u0107 from \u010ca\u010dak has lived alone for a few years. Until recently, her parents helped her out on a regular basis by sending her homemade preserves, so cold winter months were a little sweeter and easier. Various life circumstances, less money and unemployment, encouraged her to preserve food for herself this year.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m not in a position where I could safely say that I\u2019ll have enough money to buy food every day and this was the first thing that made me give it a shot and make my very own winter preserves. There’s also the upholding of traditions and the beautiful memories that preparing preserves brings. For years I\u2019d enjoy Mom\u2019s jars of homemade stuff \u2014 and now I can return the favor,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThis year I decided to roast some peppers and put them in the freezer; I made ten jars of ajvar and pickled some cucumbers too. For the first time it’s plenty and as much as I could afford. None of it is likely to be perfect and more experienced housewives would have a lot of complaints, but, for me, the fact that I can secure a few meals for myself is amazing and that\u2019s all I need,\u201d Jokovi\u0107 said.<\/span><\/p>

Preparing preserves in a process. It requires careful tending of fruits and vegetables from the beginning of the year. If you shop for fruits and vegetables instead, then you spend days making selections, comparing prices, drawing up cooking and roasting schedules and measuring everything down to the gram and then put a year\u2019s work into the one jar that patiently waits to feed entire families and bring them joy. And you create new memories throughout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

For some, these memories are an inspiration to create poetry. Miodrag Sto\u0161i\u0107, for example, dedicated a poem to the greatness of ajvar.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI was trying to come up with a way to write a love poem and I realized that poets have compared the women they love to roses, hyacinths, water, the sky, apples. So everything had already been exploited. But then I thought of ajvar. Even though it sounds a little funny, to love someone as much as you love ajvar is a big deal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThough it\u2019s usually red, ajvar is evergreen. It\u2019s a taste of childhood that lasts an entire life. In the world of food, ajvar has the same status as Du\u0161ko Radovi\u0107 in the world of literature or <\/span>Vru\u0107 vetar <\/span><\/i>[a popular Yugoslav TV show] in the world of television,\u201d Sto\u0161i\u0107 said. He shared some of the lines he has written: \u201cYou are my little jar of fantasy \/ both spicy and sweet \/ there is no consolation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Quality is on the side of the homemade but what about prices? GIF: Jelena Bo\u017ei\u0107 \/ K2.0.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In a village near the town of Lu\u010dani, making winter preserves is a decades-long tradition for the Jovanovi\u0107 family. Milka Jovanovi\u0107 associates it with filling shelves with colorful jars, <\/span>sending food<\/span><\/a> to her children by bus after they left for their studies, and with socializing with others during the preparation, which no longer happens. Milka and her family still do preserve food for winter, albeit on a more limited scale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThis year, we prepared fewer preserves because there are now fewer of us at home to eat it, but also because of the price of vegetables and groceries \u2014 especially peppers and ajvar,” Jovanovi\u0107 said. “We have a greenhouse, but our produce is not for sale, and even that isn’t enough for everything we want. We use whatever we grow to feed ourselves in summer, but in winter we go shopping for things to preserve.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

She recalls that once, not too long ago, making food preserves was marked by socializing when several families would cook, roast and prepare things for winter. But this is no longer the case.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cFew people make winter preserves nowadays,” she said. “Most just buy a jar of whatever they feel like eating at the moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

But the Jovanovi\u0107 family hasn’t given up on making preserves. For them it remains cheaper than buying everything, it gives some security and brings the family together.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cMaking winter preserv<\/span>es is not merely a process where you prepare for those long days of foodlessness; it always comes with some nice experiences and emotions. It\u2019s about the food preparation process itself \u2014 about the way you make food, because you don\u2019t do all this in one day,” Jovanovi\u0107 said. “And it\u2019s about the feeling of bringing pleasure to another person by having them open a jar of pickles, ajvar, jam, or what have you.”<\/span><\/p>

She said that winter preserves instill in her a sense of security because she prepares in advance a portion of the food the family will eat in the coming months. Still, she advises that one should take care about what household members really love eating them because \u2014 having in mind the current prices \u2014 it would be advisable to make the most reasonable calculations money-wise.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIn our household, pickles and ajvar are the first to be eaten.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Winter preserves afford a sense of security, sustainability, and resistance in the face of insecurity. GIF: Jelena Bo\u017ei\u0107 \/ K2.0.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Milka\u2019s family also has a special recipe for ajvar, which \u2014 according to them \u2014 yields more ajvar for less money. It is a recipe based on stewed peppers, which is more cost-effective than buying ajvar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the recipe I use doesn\u2019t originate from Western Serbia. It\u2019s a recipe I brought back from Kru\u0161evac \u2014 a <\/span>\u010carapani <\/span><\/i>one, as we call it [colloquial Serbian term for a native of Kru\u0161evac]; they use parboiled peppers there. Besides the wonderful taste, this recipe yields more ajvar for the same amount of peppers,\u201d Jovanovi\u0107 said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rade, a vegetable seller at the Novi Sad green market who has worked so long he doesn’t remember when he started, said that sales have declined in the past year. He also noted that he knows exactly if someone’s buying fruits and vegetables for preservation purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost people buy a kilo or two of fruits or vegetables. Sometimes also just a few peppers or tomatoes. It all depends on the number of people they are preparing for. You can feel that everything is more expensive,” he said. \u201cI\u2019m doing my best to keep prices normal, but it’s hard because my production requires money and everything’s more expensive. <\/span><\/p>\n

“They’re making preserves nonetheless. I know exactly if someone\u2019s buying things with that in mind; if that is the case, they go for the fleshier peppers, smell everything, ask me if it\u2019s fresh and buy in bulk. I also have my regular customers who have been buying my produce for years; they won\u2019t give up on making their own preserves. I also believe, I know, that it pays off,\u201d Rade said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Winter is at the door. It\u2019s been marked by inflation, frugality and reductions in spending, but food preservation is still a must for heroines in many households. It still brings families together, gives a sense of security, sustainability and resistance in the face of insecurity. Perhaps this year there will be fewer jars on basement shelves, but homemade foods full of memories will take many households to the spring.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feature image: Jelena Bo\u017ei\u0107 \/ K2.0.<\/b><\/p>\n

The content of this article is the sole responsibility of K2.0. 
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Curious about how our journalism is funded? Learn more <\/span><\/i>here<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How pickles and ajvar are getting us through an inflationary winter. \u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re eating, but you aren\u2019t. You aren\u2019t eating,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":829,"featured_media":84581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[1313],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/829"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84617"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86220,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84617\/revisions\/86220"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}