Ghivetch (, , , , , / , , ) is a traditional

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

autumn vegetable stew most closely associated with

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

, where it is a

national dish A national dish is a culinary Dish (food), 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 ...

. It is traditionally cooked in an earthenware pot called a

güveç Güveç () 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, and the dish ...

. 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 Miriam "Mimi" Sheraton ( Solomon; February 10, 1926 – April 6, 2023) was an American food critic. Early life and education Sheraton's mother, Beatrice, was described as an excellent cook and her father, Joseph Solomon, as a commission merchan ...

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

Origins

Ghivetch is known throughout the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

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

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. It is a national dish of Moldova, where it is called ''ghiveci''. It is a dish eaten by

Danube Swabians The Danube Swabians ( ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in east-central Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in greater numbers in the 17 ...

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, and

paprika Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...

, either hot or sweet.

Preparation and serving

Traditionally the stew is prepared in a clay pot called a

, duvech, or gyuvech; in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

the pot is called yiouvetsi. According to Paula Wolfert 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'' (, Japanese: ), ''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 t ...

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

, and

moussaka Moussaka (, , ; ) is an eggplant (aubergine)- 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 modern Greek variant was created in the 1920s by ...

. ''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 *

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 melt ...

* Türlü güveç

Other mixed-vegetable dishes

Lecsó Lecsó ( , ; Czech and ; ; ; ; , ), also anglicized as lecho, is a Hungarian thick vegetable ragout or stew which traditionally contains yellow pointed peppers, tomato, onion, salt, and ground sweet and/or hot paprika as a base recipe. The o ...

* Leipziger allerlei * Locro de choclo * Maque choux *

Moussaka Moussaka (, , ; ) is an eggplant (aubergine)- 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 modern Greek variant was created in the 1920s by ...

Pinakbet (also called ) is a traditional Filipino cuisine, Filipino vegetable dish that originates from the Ilocos Region of the Philippines. The dish consists of a variety of vegetables and flavored with Bugguong, bugguóng munamón (bagoóng isdâ or ...

Succotash Succotash is a North American vegetable dish consisting primarily of sweet corn with lima beans or other shell beans. The name ''succotash'' is derived from the Narragansett word , which means "broken corn kernels". Other ingredients may be add ...

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

Peperonata ''Peperonata'' is an Italian vegetable stew typically composed of red bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic. It may be used as a sauce for pasta or served as a side dish to meat and fish dishes. It may also be included as part of a ragù. A Malte ...

References

{{Reflist Bulgarian cuisine Serbian cuisine Moldovan cuisine Vegetable dishes National dishes