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Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish)
Roasted red peppers and eggplant cooked down with grated ripe tomatoes, garlic and sunflower oil into a thick, sweet and gently spicy relish, eaten beside meat, cheese and bread at nearly every Bulgarian meal.
Bulgarian · medium · serves 10
prep 45 min · cook 115 min
~196 cal · 3g protein · 17g carbs · 14g fat · 5g fiber · 9g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Lyutenitsa is the relish Bulgarians cannot do without. It is made at the end of summer, when the markets are full of ripe tomatoes and sweet red peppers, and a well-stocked pantry holds jars of it through the winter. The name comes from lyut, meaning hot or spicy, although most versions are more sweet and smoky than fiery.
The method is simple and slow. The peppers, and often an eggplant, are roasted until the skins blacken, then peeled and chopped fine. Ripe tomatoes are grated and cooked down with plenty of sunflower oil, the peppers and garlic go in, and the pot is stirred until the relish is so thick that a wooden spoon drawn across the bottom leaves a clear trail. Every family has its own version, with carrots, a little sugar, parsley or a pinch of chilli, smooth or chunky.
It is eaten spread on a slice of bread with white cheese, beside grilled kebapche and meatballs, and with almost anything else. Bulgarian towns hold festivals in its honour, and for Bulgarians abroad a jar of it tastes of home.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 10
- 1.5 kg sweet red peppers (long red peppers or red bell peppers)
- 1 medium (about 350 g) eggplant, optional; many families add one
- 1 kg ripe tomatoes
- 150 ml sunflower oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small hot red chilli, finely chopped, optional, for a hotter relish
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- 1Heat the oven to 220C (425F). Lay the whole peppers and the eggplant, pricked a few times with a fork, on baking trays and roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning once, until the skins are blistered and blackened and the flesh is soft.
- 2Put the hot peppers in a covered bowl to steam until cool enough to handle, then peel them and remove the stalks and seeds. Scoop the eggplant flesh from its skin. Chop the peppers and eggplant very finely, or pulse them briefly in a food processor.
- 3Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes and grate the cut sides on the coarse side of a box grater, discarding the skins. Put the grated tomato in a wide, heavy pot with half the oil and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until reduced by about half.
- 4Add the chopped peppers and eggplant, the garlic, the chilli if using, and the rest of the oil. Cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until the relish is thick and glossy and a wooden spoon drawn across the bottom of the pot leaves a clear trail.✎ Chef’s noteIt spits as it thickens and catches easily. Keep the heat low and stir with a long wooden spoon.
- 5Stir in the sugar and salt and taste, then take off the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve cool beside grilled meat, with white cheese and bread, or spoon it hot into sterilised jars and seal.
Bulgarian end-of-summer home preserving tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Sofia. Yogurt is not a garnish here. It carries tarator, a cold soup of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill and walnut eaten all summer, and sirene, the brined white cheese, is crumbled over shopska salad. The story that the salad was designed in the national colours is a modern claim rather than a documented one.
🗺️
Bulgaria. Shopska salad is a modern invention with a good story attached. It was created for the state tourism agency Balkantourist and named in 1956 at a Black Sea resort near Varna, a Bulgarian answer to the Greek salad, and only later became a national symbol. That its colours match the flag was noticed afterwards and used, which is more interesting than a peasant origin would have been.
🌍
Europe. European cooking is built on the land and the seasons, wheat, butter, and cured pork in the north; olive oil, tomatoes, and seafood around the Mediterranean; preserved vegetables and hearty stews through long winters. Centuries of peasant tradition, guild craft, and royal courts refined techniques from French mother sauces to Italian fresh pasta and Central European baking. Regional identity runs remarkably deep, with a single dish often changing from one valley to the next.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Bulgaria
Tarator (Cold Yogurt and Cucumber Soup)A chilled Bulgarian summer soup of thinned yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, dill and walnuts, finished with a drizzle of oil.
BanitsaCoiled phyllo layered with tangy white cheese and egg, baked into a golden spiral, Bulgaria’s breakfast and New Year charm.
KavarmaA slow-cooked Bulgarian clay-pot stew of meat, peppers, onions, and mushrooms in a savory sauce.
Browse all Bulgaria recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Oven, Steamer, Food processor.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Bulgaria meal
Boza (Bulgarian Millet Boza)Drink
Garash TortaDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish)?
Roasted red peppers and eggplant cooked down with grated ripe tomatoes, garlic and sunflower oil into a thick, sweet and gently spicy relish, eaten beside meat, cheese and bread at nearly every Bulgarian meal.
Where does Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish) come from?
Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish) is a Bulgarian dish from Sofia, Bulgaria.
Can Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Lyutenitsa (Bulgarian Roasted Pepper and Tomato Relish) take to make?
About 160 minutes total (45 minutes prep, 115 minutes cooking), serving 10.
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