Spreads
Baklazhannaya ikra
Икра баклажанная
Russia
Roasted eggplant mashed with sweet pepper, tomato and onion into a smoky spread; Soviet cookbooks called it poor man's caviar.
Original eatfuls sticker artwork
What it is
A closer look at Baklazhannaya ikra.
Roasted eggplant mashed with sweet pepper, tomato and onion into a smoky spread; Soviet cookbooks called it poor man's caviar.
What to look for
Know it when you find it.
Sold jarred at groceries or fresh at market deli counters; it should taste smoked and sweet, not oily.
Where it belongs
Origins and
traditions.
Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Baklazhannaya ikra.
Russia
Country-wide tradition
Names around the table
One food, more than one name.
Keep exploring
If this caught your eye…
Serbia
Ajvar
Ајвар
Relish made from roasted peppers and eggplants, a popular condiment throughout the Balkans, traditionally prepared in autumn, versatile and savory.
Morocco
Amlou
أملو
Ground almonds blended with culinary argan oil and honey into a glossy Moroccan spread.
Monaco, Monaco
Anchoia de
Salty anchovy paste made from anchovies, olive oil, and salt; a Monegasque condiment served with raw vegetables (crudités) as a dip; the local version of the Mediterranean anchovy paste, used across Monegasque cuisine.
Netherlands
Apple Syrup
Appelstroop
Thick dark syrup made from apple juice, similar to apple butter but thinner, used on bread, pancakes, and in cooking.
Cyprus
Carob Syrup
Χαρουπόμελο
Carob pods boiled down into a dark, treacly syrup once called the island's black gold, poured over anari and bread.
Switzerland
Cenovis
A dark, salty yeast-extract spread with a faintly sweeter, less bitter profile than its British relatives, scraped onto buttered bread.
Lyon, France
Silk Worker's Brain
Cervelle de canut
Lyonnaise herbed fresh cheese spread, traditionally eaten with bread.
Israel
Charoset
חרוסת
Paste of chopped fruit, nuts, wine and spice eaten at the Passover seder, meant to look like the mortar of Egyptian brickwork.