Ajika

Ajika
აჯიკა

Red adjika
Alternative names	Adjika
Course	Dip
Place of origin	Georgia
Region or state	Samegrelo, Abkhazia
Main ingredients	Red peppers, garlic, herbs and spices, salt, and walnut
Media: Ajika აჯიკა

Ajika or adjika (Georgian: აჯიკა; Abkhazian: Аџьыка) is a Georgian subtly flavored sauce or dip made mainly in the Georgian regions Samegrelo and Abkhazia.^[1][2] It is often used to flavor food.^[3] Ajika is primarily capsicum-based and usually includes other spices such as coriander, fenugreek, or blue fenugreek. Common varieties of ajika resemble Italian red pesto in appearance and consistency, although a dry version also exists. Though it is usually red, green ajika is also made with unripe peppers.

The dish is also prepared in Sakarya, Turkey among the Abaza people and is patented by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.^[4]

In 2018, ajika was included on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list.^[5]

Etymology

The word adjika comes from Abkhaz language and means "salt".^[6][7][8]

• 
  Mingrelian ajika
• 
  Green ajika

See also

• Erős Pista, a popular Hungarian pepper sauce.
• Biber salçası, a hot or sweet pepper paste in Turkish cuisine
• Muhammara, a hot pepper dip in Levantine cuisine
• Harissa, a hot chili pepper paste in Maghreb cuisine
• Zhug, a hot sauce in Middle Eastern cuisine, made from fresh hot peppers seasoned with coriander, garlic and various spices
• List of dips
• List of sauces

References

1. "Back to basics: Ajika becomes a Georgian national heritage".
2. "საქპატენტი - საქართველოს ინტელექტუალური საკუთრების ეროვნული ცენტრი". www.sakpatenti.gov.ge. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
3. T. Burford (2008). Georgia, Bradt Travel Guide. p. 69.
4. "Coğrafi İşaret Platformu". Coğrafi İşaret Platformu (in Turkish). Retrieved 21 September 2024.
5. "Ajika granted the status of an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia". Georgian Journal. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
6. Chirikba, Viacheslav A. (1996). "A Dictionary of Common Abkhaz" (PDF). Leiden. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
7. Kaslandziya, V. A. (2005). Абхазско-русский словарь (in Russian). Moscow: OLMA-Press. ISBN 9785224052738.
8. "Adjika: A Georgian condiment that brings fire to the table". The Washington Post. 27 July 2018. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 13 August 2025.