Zacuscă
Zacuscă is a vegetable spread very popular in Romania. Similar spreads are found in other countries throughout, or bordering, the Balkans.
Recipe
The main ingredients are roasted eggplant or cooked beans, roasted red peppers (belonging to a local cultivar called gogoşari)[1] and chopped onion.[2] In North America gogosari equate with pimento peppers and are available in farmers' markets late in the summer. Some add tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, or celery. Other ingredients are also added according to taste, including spices. Traditionally, a family will cook a large quantity of it after the fall harvest and preserve it in sterilized jars.
It can be eaten as a relish or spread, typically on bread. It is said to improve in taste after some months of maturing but must be used within days of opening. Although traditionally prepared at home, it is also commercially available. Some Bulgarian and Middle Eastern brand-names are available in the United States.
Etymology
The word zacuscă is of Slavic origin (compare Russian: закуска, zakuska),[1] which means simply "appetizer" or "snack". The Slavic root of the word (Russian: кус, kus) indicates "tasty" (Russian: вкусно vkusno), "to bite" (Russian: кусать, kusat′), or "to snack" (Russian: закусывать, zakusyvat′).[3]
See also
- Ajvar, a similar relish from Serbia
- Lutenica, another similar relish from the Balkans
- Biber salçası, a Turkish spread made from red peppers alone
- Matbucha, a Middle Eastern cooked salad of tomatoes and bell peppers
- Meze
References
- ^ a b Zacusca on DEX Online Dictionary
- ^ Basic zacusca recipe
- ^ Vladmir Dal's Russian dictionary online