The Jar Of Lyutenitsa - The Guardian Of Our Traditions

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Lutenitsa is probably the most frequently mentioned word in the markets in Bulgaria, when the beginning of autumn came. Despite the many historical vicissitudes that our people have gone through, and with it our cuisine, lyutenitsa remains a constant on the Bulgarian table.

Keeper of traditions, memories, childhood, delicious and appetizing… For breakfast, spread on a slice, for lunch and dinner, garnish with meat, cheese or onions, it is among the proudest emblems of our national cuisine. Like the Shopska salad, it is known throughout Europe and even across the ocean.

Strange as it may seem, lutenitsa there is no ancient history in our lands, it is only about 150 years old. According to some studies in Bulgarian yards, it was boiled a little before, but it certainly dates back to the 19th century, when its two main ingredients - peppers and tomatoes, entered Bulgaria for the first time. Previously, they were unknown to our farm, but this did not prevent the Bulgarians to quickly recognize them and become part of their culinary culture.

In its current form, lyutenitsa appeared at the beginning of the last century. A few decades later, its production was industrialized and it began to be mass-produced, and the state introduced the first Bulgarian state standard (BDS) for lutenitsa. In the 70s of the 20th century, it is already in every store, although only in one version - the famous lute Luna.

After 1989, when Bulgaria moved from a planned to a market economy, BDS for lyutenitsa was abolished and it became a product of various producers. They all start a real competition to get closer to the tradition and taste of the Bulgarian.

In fact, although invented under a Bulgarian roof and mixed in a Bulgarian cauldron, the traditional lyutenitsa has close and distant relatives all over the world. Its famous relative is the famous American ketchup. The story goes that after he was invented in America, he arrived in Europe, more precisely in England. There, American producers decided to sell it not with its familiar name ketchup, but as tomato chutney, ie tomato lyutenitsa - to distinguish it from the English walnut-mushroom ketchup.

In Italy, there is also an appetizer similar to lutenitsawhich is prepared from peppers, garlic, oil and various spices. The Italians call it Tartinada and eat it on a toasted slice with a glass of wine.

The close cousins of the Bulgarian lyutenitsa, of course, are here in the Balkans. In Serbia, lyutenitsa is called Ajvar and has a different taste. Quince is also made from peppers, but the main role is assigned to eggplant. In Serbia, it is also called Serbian salad or Serbian vegetable caviar and is traditionally prepared with a larger consistency.

In the Balkan latitudes there is another appetizer, which is similar to lutenitsa - pinjur. It is something between a salad and pasta, and the products with which it is made are again tomatoes and peppers, sometimes eggplant. Pinjur is often prepared fried or baked, which mainly distinguishes it from the star of the autumn table.

Photo: Vanya Georgieva

In our country there are dozens and maybe hundreds of recipes for lyutenitsa. Each region in the country has its own way of preparing your favorite snack. Some include garlic, others eggplant. Somewhere it is preferred sweeter and smoother, and elsewhere spicy and coarsely ground. The variety of the product in the trade network is just as great. But even though today there is a jar of lyutenitsa on the shelves in every store, many people continue to prepare the snack themselves to achieve the authentic taste remembered from childhood.