After grilling, skinning, chopping and stirring, stirring, stirring, my feelings towards my favourite Balkan relish, ajvar, changed. Those Macedonian nans must be made of girders
If you ever meet someone from North Macedonia and find yourself short of conversation, then one word will get things going nicely. That word is ajvar. Pronounce it “Ivor”, as in The Engine – not quite right but it’ll do. Depending on who you ask, ajvar is a condiment, spread, sauce or relish. It’s made – also depending on who you ask – with red peppers and aubergine. You can eat it with meat, cheese, fish, vegetables, on toast or, using a large spoon, straight from the jar.
I was accompanying a 13-year-old called Ilijana as she played the British chess grandmaster Nigel Short. This was on the waterfront in Split, Croatia. Long story. All you need to know is that my contribution to the contest was zero. All I could do was try to bond with her somehow, by finding some area of common ground. So I said the magic word: ajvar! This was the conversational equivalent of a chess move – something with a knight perhaps? – which she didn’t see coming. It worked a treat. Suddenly she was all smiles, telling me how her grandma’s ajvar was the best in the world.
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