My Friends, This Recipe is a Must!
This Special Hot Sauce Adjika is a staple in our kitchen—and a favorite among our friends. Whenever guests come to visit, we always gift them a small jar as a warm welcome. It’s become a tradition!
Abkhazian (Georgia) adjika is considered the queen of hot spices. It is a thick spicy paste, which includes hot peppers, salt, garlic, and herbs – basil, mint, fenugreek, parsley, saffron, marjoram, and others. The recipe has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. And there is no exact recipe; each housewife combines the components in her way. And here you can try my preferred combination. Feel free to experiment with different herbs and additions such as bell peppers or tomatoes.
Ingredients for Hot Sauce Adjika
10 cloves of garlic (50 g)
3 chili peppers
2 jalapeños
2 serrano peppers
2 cayenne peppers
3 habanero peppers
1 tsp coarse salt
Instructions
-
Peel the garlic cloves. Wash and cut the ends of the peppers. Leave the seeds in. It is a hot sauce 🙂
-
Process everything in the food processor.
How to Use Adjika
This hot sauce is incredibly versatile and pairs beautifully with a variety of dishes. Enjoy it with cheese, vegetables, or grilled meats. Add a spoonful to soups, stews, sauces, or bean dishes. It’s also fantastic in marinades and spice mixes, and works wonders in pickling or seasoning both meat and fish dishes—not to mention vegetable salads!
Try Adjika With These Recipes
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A Taste of Ukraine: The Authentic Borsch Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Stew with Kidney Beans
Mashed Potatoes with White Fish (Stamppot)
Wrap Recipe with Beans & Bell Peppers
🌶 The Legend Behind the Origin of Adjika
According to legend, Abkhazian shepherds would head into the mountains each spring to graze their flocks. Before setting out, they were given salt to feed their sheep. The more salt the sheep consumed, the more they drank—and the more they drank, the more they grazed on the lush mountain grass. As a result, the sheep grew healthier and gained more weight.
But salt was a precious and expensive commodity. To prevent the shepherds from stealing it for themselves, it was mixed with hot red pepper to make it unappealing. However, the clever shepherds found a workaround. They began adding herbs and spices to the salty pepper mix, turning it into something not just tolerable—but delicious.
And that’s how, as the story goes, the famous Adjika spice paste was born.
🫙 How to Store Hot Sauce Adjika
Store your Adjika in a glass jar with a tightly sealed lid. Keep it in the refrigerator, and it will stay fresh for 10 to 11 months.
Why does it last so long? Garlic and salt—two of its main ingredients—act as natural preservatives.
⚠️ If you choose to add bell peppers, the shelf life drops significantly to about 1 month.
🍅 And with tomatoes added, it’s best consumed within 1 week.
Special Hot Sauce Adjika
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
- 10 cloves of garlic 50 g
- 3 chili peppers
- 2 jalapeños
- 2 serrano peppers
- 2 cayenne peppers
- 3 habanero peppers
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Instructions
- Peel the garlic cloves. Wash and cut the ends of the peppers. Leave the seeds in. It is a hot sauce 🙂
- Process everything in the food processor.