History

Lyutenitsa is the late-September Bulgarian preserve. Families roast bell peppers and aubergines over wood fires, peel them by hand, then cook the flesh with tomato into a thick spread put up in jars for winter. The Plovdiv plain is one of Bulgaria's largest pepper-growing regions, and the autumn roasting fills the city's neighbourhoods with sweet smoke.

Make it at home

Yield 1Hands-on 1 hrTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 kg red bell peppers
  • 500g aubergines
  • 1 kg ripe tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 100ml sunflower oil
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 small hot chilli (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Roast peppers and aubergines on a tray for 30 minutes until blackened.
  2. Cover with a tea towel; rest 15 minutes. Peel and deseed.
  3. Pass roasted flesh through a food mill or pulse in a processor.
  4. Score and blanch tomatoes 30 seconds in boiling water. Peel and crush.
  5. Combine all in a heavy pot. Add garlic, oil, salt, sugar and chilli.
  6. Cook over low heat for 90 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is glossy and thick enough to mound on a spoon.
  7. Spoon into sterilized jars. Seal.

Tip from the editors. The traditional Bulgarian method roasts over wood; if you can grill the peppers outdoors, do; the smoke is the dish's defining note.

Where to eat lyutenitsa

Lyutenitsa in Plovdiv

Stariyat Plovdiv ★ 4.3

Eastern European$$kapanaMon-Sun 10:30-00:00Until 00:00

Stariyat Plovdiv runs the charcoal grill until midnight. Kebapche, kyufte, shopska on the rooftop or in the courtyard; late-table Bulgarian classics.

Try: Charcoal kebapche and Bulgarian salads

ul. Frederic Joliot-Curie 6A, 4000 Plovdiv

Restaurant Alafrangite ★ 4.3

Traditional Bulgarian$$old-townMon-Sun 11:00-23:00

Restaurant Alafrangite occupies an 18th-century Revival house with a courtyard garden in Old Plovdiv. Bulgarian salads and meat dishes anchor the long menu.

Signature: Sarmi, Bulgarian salads

ul. Kiril Nektariev 13, 4000 Plovdiv

Pavaj ★ 4.6

BrunchModern Bulgarian late brunch$$25-45 BGNkapanaTue-Sun 12:00-23:00, closed MondayRecommended

Pavaj opens at noon as Kapana's late-brunch stop. Farm-driven Bulgarian small plates with house bread; weekend afternoons settle into long tables and Mavrud.

Order: Farm vegetable plate with Mavrud glass

ul. Zlatarska 7, 4000 Plovdiv

Aylyakria ★ 4.4

BrunchModern Bulgarian and gluten-free brunch$$20-35 BGNkapanaMon-Sun 11:00-23:00Recommended

Aylyakria runs an early-Kapana brunch in a Revival-era room. Banitsa, shopska, mish-mash and gluten-free options listed, alongside Bulgarian wines.

Order: Banitsa with sirene, shopska salad, glass of Bulgarian wine

ul. Kozhuharska 3, 4000 Plovdiv

More cities are in research. Want lyutenitsa covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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