Ghivetch ( bg, гювеч, , ro, ghiveci, , fa, دیزی٫ tr, güveç, bs, đuveč, , mk, ѓувеч, , sr, ђувеч, ) is a traditional

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

autumn vegetable stew most closely associated with

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, where it is a

national dish A national dish is a culinary dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs that can be ...

, and

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

. It is traditionally cooked in an earthenware pot called a

güveç Güveç ( IPA: gy'vetʃ ) is a family of earthenware pots used in Balkan, Persian, Turkish, and Levantine cuisine; various casserole or stew dishes cooked in them are called ghivetch. The pot is wide and medium-tall, can be glazed or unglazed, a ...

. It is often made only with vegetables, though some versions include meat, fish, or poultry. The ''Washington Post'' in 1985 called it "one of the world's great vegetable melanges".

Mimi Sheraton Mimi Sheraton (born Miriam Solomon; February 10, 1926) is an American food critic and writer. Family and education Sheraton's mother, Beatrice, was described as an excellent cook and her father, Joseph Solomon, as a commission merchant in a wh ...

called it "really the last word in vegetable stews".

Origins

Ghivetch is known throughout the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

as a traditional autumn vegetable stew, but it is most closely associated with

and

. It is a national dish of Romania, where it is called ''ghiveci''.

Ingredients

Ghivetch is often made only with vegetables, sometimes as many as 40, but versions exist that include meat, fish, poultry and dairy. In the Western Balkans it is often consumed with rice.

, writing in the ''Wall Street Journal'', described it as traditionally including "some pleasing pucker" from the inclusion of grape leaves or other sour ingredients such as

sour salt Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in t ...

, and

paprika Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from ''Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder an ...

, either hot or sweet.

Preparation and serving

Traditionally the stew is prepared in a clay pot called a

, duvech, or gyuvech; in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

the pot is called yiouvetsi. According to

Paula Wolfert Paula Wolfert (b. 1938) is an American author of nine books on cooking and the winner of numerous cookbook awards including what is arguably the top honor given in the food world: The James Beard Foundation Medal For Lifetime Achievement. A specia ...

the pot is "beloved for its ability to impart a great earthy taste and aroma". Traditionally the dish is assembled at home, then taken to a local bakery, and delivered to the customer by a delivery boy wearing a cushion on his head. Truck delivery has replaced the delivery boys. Some specialty bakeries allow customers to order ghivetch to be assembled by the bakery rather than by the customer at home; customers return the empty pot to the bakery. Ghivetch can be served hot or cold. It is sometimes pureed. It is often garnished with sour cream or yogurt.

Importance

The ''Washington Post'' in 1985 called it "one of the world's great vegetable melanges", along with

Buddha's delight Buddha's delight, often transliterated as ''Luóhàn zhāi'', ''lo han jai'', or ''lo hon jai'', is a vegetarian dish well known in Chinese and Buddhist cuisine. It is sometimes also called ''Luóhàn cài'' (). The dish is traditionally enjoy ...

ratatouille Ratatouille ( , ), oc, ratatolha , is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables which originated in Nice, and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include ...

, and

moussaka Moussaka (, , ) is an eggplant- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, which is common in the Balkans and the Middle East, with many local and regional variations. The best-known version in Europe and the Americas is the Greek vari ...

. ''The New York Times'' in 1977 specifically distinguished it as one of the mixed-vegetable stews characteristic of various cuisines. Sheraton called it "really the last word in vegetable stews" and included it in her book ''1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die''.

Similar and related dishes

Related dishes

Giouvetsi Giouvetsi, yiouvetsi, or youvetsi (; from Turkish ) is a Greek dish made with chicken, lamb or beef and pasta, either ''kritharaki'' (orzo) or '' hilopites'' (small square noodles), and tomato sauce (usually spiced with allspice and sometimes ci ...

Karides güveç ''Karides güveç'' is a shrimp dish in Turkish cuisine. It also contains tomato, tomato paste, garlic, onion, chili pepper and optionally mushroom. It is usually cooked and served in croks or relatively smaller sized ''güveç''s, by adding me ...

* Türlü güveç

Other mixed-vegetable dishes

Lecsó Lecsó ( en, Lecho, ; hu, lecsó ; Czech and Slovak: ''lečo''; german: Letscho; pl, leczo; Russian and ua, лечо) is a Hungarian thick vegetable ragout or stew which traditionally contains yellow pointed peppers, tomato, onion, salt, a ...

Leipziger allerlei Leipziger Allerlei is a regional German vegetable dish that may be served as a main or side course. It is named after the city of Leipzig and consists of a mixture of various vegetables such as young peas, carrots, green beans, asparagus heads, m ...

Locro de choclo Locro (from the Quechua ''ruqru'') is a hearty thick squash stew, associated with Native Andean civilizations, and popular along the Andes mountain range. It is one of the national dishes of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Northwest Ar ...

Maque choux Maque choux is a traditional dish of Louisiana. It is thought to be an amalgam of Creole and Native American cultural influence, and the name is likely to derive from the French interpretation of the Native American name. It contains corn, gr ...

Moussaka Moussaka (, , ) is an eggplant- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat, which is common in the Balkans and the Middle East, with many local and regional variations. The best-known version in Europe and the Americas is the Greek vari ...

Succotash Succotash (from Narragansett ''sahquttahhash'', "broken corn kernels") is a vegetable dish consisting primarily of sweet corn with lima beans or other shell beans. Other ingredients may be added, such as onions, potatoes, turnips, tomatoes, b ...

Ratatouille Ratatouille ( , ), oc, ratatolha , is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables which originated in Nice, and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include ...

References

{{Reflist Bulgarian cuisine Romanian cuisine Vegetable dishes National dishes