September smells like peppers

It happens every year. As the September starts, the days of summer vacation by the seaside slowly slip away into the memories, leaving us with a habitual feeling that something big is about to change. Something like a whole season.

Autumn landscape and sunlight © Credits to Adam Höglund

As I walk the streets of my wonderous hometown Zajecar, the mild sun fights its way towards the earth, and the thick clouds persistently remind me of a potential rainstorm, a true disaster for the people like me, still adjusted to the tender summer. Kids have started school, and the university students have returned to the cities where they study: Belgrade, Nis, and Novi Sad. Strolling the streets of my small hometown, I hear only the sounds of mothers and grandmothers chatting and grilling the peppers in their yards and a strange thought consumes my mind. September smells like peppers. September smells like partings.

The transitions to winter

The ninth month of the year symbolically marks the beginning of the end. The weather is still mostly nice, but with each passing day, the clouds and winds extend their presence and the sun passively draws back. And the* s*mell of roasted peppers on the streets mixes with the smell of rain, the smell of roasted chestnuts, the smell of the first day of school, the smell of the transition to winter.

Red pepper baked on grill © Credits to Lesyy

Traditionally, women in Serbia preserve some food for the winter in a special way - conserving it in the jars, to be used during the coldest months of the year. Many of the vegetables are pickled for the later use, like tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, peppers, much like in the other Eastern European and Asian countries. Nowadays, all the vegetables are available in the supermarkets throughout the year, but this process of food preservation for the winter is kinda archaic, in a sense that it was originally used to make food, that doesn’t naturally grow during the cold months in our climate, available in the midst winter.

Homemade ajvar from roasted paprika © Credits to meteo021

The symbol of autumn in Serbia is definitely ajvar, a gourmet sauce made from the roasted peppers, oil, and sometimes eggplants. The traditional delicacy is used as an appetizer, sandwich addition, a side dish for any meal and much more. Serbs love it, and moreover, everyone who tries it loves it.

Where to try ajvar

If you happen to visit any of the cities or traditional ethno villages, you can try ajvar in the most of restaurants, or even buy a whole jar in the supermarkets or Serbian green markets. There will be slight variations in taste: spicy or sweet, with eggplants or without, etc. The delicious autumn flavors of Serbia are marked with the omnipresent smell of peppers. As the September brings the colder winds mixed with a bit of overthinking, I find it a perfect atmosphere to explore the restaurants of traditional districts like Skadarlija in Belgrade and Kazandzijsko Sokace in Nis. With a glass of wine in one hand and a good friend sitting across the table, it’s the perfect way to contemplate on the long summer and enjoy the nostalgic smells of autumn even in the middle of the city.