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Zacuscă, a Romanian dish made with eggplant and bell peppers

Zacuscă, Romanian eggplant and pepper spread

Appetizers

Romanian Zacusca: Grilled eggplant and bell peppers, chopped and then slowly simmered with onion, tomato paste, and oil, to be enjoyed year-round.

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Recipe from Kihoiu, Emily, Strainu, adapted by Recette de cuisine · · updated on

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Cuisine: Romanian | Category: Appetizers | Difficulty level: Easy | Preparation time: 3 hours

Ingredients and directions

  • Prep time1 hr 30 min
  • Cook time2 hr
  • Total3 hr 30 min
  • DifficultyEasy
  • CostBudget
  • Calories248 kcal/serving
  • Cooking methodnibbling
  • Estimated cost$45.21 $1.51 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 15, 2026.
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free

Ingredients

30 people
  • $17.50
  • $1.04
  • $10.63
  • $10.63
  • $2.11
  • $2.94
  • $0.36

Prices from US supermarkets for 6 of 7 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.

Directions

  1. Grill the eggplants and bell peppers, peel them, and let them drain in a colander. Then, pulse each vegetable separately in a food processor.
  2. Heat the finely chopped or grated onions in oil until they are golden brown.
  3. Add the bell peppers and cook them with the onion over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
  4. Add the eggplant, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, then simmer until the oil starts to rise to the surface: the zacuscă is ready.
  5. Use a cast iron Dutch oven or one with a thick bottom to prevent the food from sticking. Place the sterilized jars in a warm oven. ≈ 3 min

The bill

Zacuscă, Romanian eggplant and pepper spread

  • 3 kg of eggplants$17.50
  • 500 g of onions$1.04
  • 1 kg of bell pepper$10.63
  • 1 kg of firm, red bell peppers (also known as gojús or kapia)$10.63
  • 200 g of tomato paste$2.11
  • 700 ml of oil$2.94
  • 3 tablespoons of salt$0.36

Total$45.21

that's $1.51 per person

Estimated price; varies by store.

Equipment

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Nutrition per serving

Calories248 kcal
Fat21.9 g
Saturated fat2.7 g
Carbohydrates8 g
Sugars6.5 g
Fiber5.1 g
Protein2.1 g
Salt0.05 g

Before you start

Ingredients

  • 3 kg of eggplants
  • 500 g of onions
  • 1 kg of bell pepper
  • 1 kg of firm, red bell peppers (also known as gojús or kapia)
  • 200 g of tomato paste
  • 700 ml of oil
  • 20 black peppercorns
  • 4 to 6 bay leaves
  • 3 tablespoons of salt

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