Around 400 kilograms of ajvar - the roasted red pepper relish - were made in Bosilovo, which hosted its local "Ajverijada 2026" festival for the fifth time. Women from the municipality cooked the ajvar on several stoves, just the way it's made in countless Macedonian yards every autumn - only this time in front of an audience, with company and the smell of roasted peppers in the air.

Bosilovo mayor Risto Mančev made no secret that organising it is anything but easy. "One of the hardest events to organise is exactly this 'Ajverijada', because around 400 kilograms of ajvar will be prepared, and believe me, that is no small thing at all," Mančev said. Anyone who has ever spent a whole day standing over a cauldron will agree without hesitation.

The finished ajvar was tasted with homemade cheese on the sports ground of the "Goce Delčev" primary school. At the stalls, visitors could also try lutenica, malidžano and other red pepper specialities, while homemade pork cracklings, pottery, honey and other bee products were on display. Singers and folk culture groups rounded off the programme.

The event was held under the patronage of the Municipality of Bosilovo and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy. It's good that the state promotes tradition. Whether the same support reaches the people who actually grow the peppers is a question no festival answers - it's a long road from the field to the jar.