{{Short description|Georgian dip}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox food | name = Ajika | image = Acuka.jpg | image_size = 260 | caption = Megrelian spicy ajika | alternate_name = Adjika | country = | region = Abkhazia{{efn|{{Abkhazia-note}}}}, Mingrelia | course = Dip | served = | main_ingredient = Red peppers, garlic, herbs and spices, salt, and walnut | variations = | calories = | other = }} {{Georgian cuisine}} '''Ajika''' ({{Lang-ka|აჯიკა|tr}}) is a flavored sauce or dip made mainly in Abkhazia and Mingrelia regions (Georgia).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.commonspace.eu/news/back-basics-ajika-becomes-georgian-national-heritage | title=Back to basics: Ajika becomes a Georgian national heritage }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=საქპატენტი - საქართველოს ინტელექტუალური საკუთრების ეროვნული ცენტრი |url=https://www.sakpatenti.gov.ge/ka/state_registry/# |access-date=2025-04-18 |website=www.sakpatenti.gov.ge}}</ref> It is often used to flavor food.<ref>{{cite book | author = T. Burford | year = 2008 | title = Georgia, Bradt Travel Guide | page = 69}}</ref> Ajika is primarily capsicum-based and usually includes other spices such as coriander or utskho suneli. 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coğrafi İşaret Platformu |url=https://ci.turkpatent.gov.tr/cografi-isaretler/detay/6006 |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=Coğrafi İşaret Platformu |language=tr}}</ref>
In 2018, ajika was included on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ajika granted the status of an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia |url=https://www.georgianjournal.ge/culture/35284-ajika-as-an-intangible-cultural-heritage-of-georgia.html |access-date=23 November 2018 |work=Georgian Journal |date=21 November 2018}}</ref>
==Origin== The word ''ajika'' comes from the Abkhaz language and means 'salt'.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chirikba |first=Viacheslav A. |year=1996 |title=A Dictionary of Common Abkhaz |url=https://www.abkhazworld.com/Pdf/Chirikba_Dictionary_of_Common%20Abkhaz.pdf |accessdate=13 August 2025 |publisher=Leiden}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kaslandziya |first=V. A. |title=Абхазско-русский словарь |publisher=OLMA-Press |year=2005 |isbn=9785224052738 |location=Moscow |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-07-27 |title=Adjika: A Georgian condiment that brings fire to the table |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/adjika-a-georgian-condiment-that-brings-fire-to-the-table/2018/07/27/0922ccfa-755d-11e8-805c-4b67019fcfe4_story.html |access-date=2025-08-13 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> However, in the Mingrelian language, a sharp linguistic distinction is maintained: the native word for salt is '''jim''' (ჯიმჷ), while ''ajika'' (აჯიკა) refers exclusively to the spicy condiment.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kajaia |first=Otar |title=Megrelian-Georgian Dictionary |url=http://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etca/cauc/megr/kajaia/kajailex.htm |publisher=University of Frankfurt (TITUS Project) |access-date=2026-03-18}}</ref> While the name is a Northwest Caucasian loanword, the dish is a defining staple of Mingrelian cuisine. In the Abkhaz language, the condiment is formally known as '''apyrpyl-jika''' (pepper-salt), whereas the standalone term ''ajika'' became the standardized name for the specific Mingrelian preparation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chirikba |first=Viacheslav A. |year=1996 |title=A Dictionary of Common Abkhaz |url=https://www.abkhazworld.com/Pdf/Chirikba_Dictionary_of_Common%20Abkhaz.pdf |accessdate=13 August 2025 |publisher=Leiden}}</ref> This distinction confirms that in the Mingrelian tradition, Ajika is not a synonym for salt, but a unique, processed condiment.
<gallery widths="220" heights="160"> File:Megrelian ajika.jpg|Mingrelian ajika File:Green ajika.jpg|Green ajika </gallery>
==See also== * Biber salçası, a hot or sweet pepper paste in Turkish cuisine * Chili sauce and paste * List of dips * Erős Pista, a well-known Hungarian pepper sauce * Harissa, a hot chili pepper paste in Maghreb cuisine * List of sauces * Muhammara, a hot pepper dip in Levantine cuisine * Zhug, a hot sauce in Middle Eastern cuisine, made from fresh hot peppers seasoned with coriander, garlic and various spices == Notes == {{Notelist}} ==References== {{reflist}}
{{Condiments}} {{Hot sauces}} {{Herbs & spices}}
Category:Herb and spice mixtures Category:Georgian cuisine Category:Condiments