Traditional Transylvanian Zacusca – A family recipe for winter preserving

Across the Balkans and Southeastern Europe, every region—and every single family—has its own cherished winter spread, ranging from Ajvar and Kyopolou to sweet pepper pastes and vegetable jams.

Somewhere right in the middle of this delicious spectrum sits Zacusca: a rich, slow-cooked (Transylvanian) vegetable spread.

In our family, we’ve been making this exact bean and carrot version (without eggplant) for over 40 years. It’s our home-cooked comfort food and an absolute lifesaver for university students taking jars back to their dorms.

My husband once rewrote my mom's recipe in his own style, and every year I laugh when I read it. It starts with: “Take a deep breath and prepare yourself mentally for the next 12-24 hours.” (Which, to be fair, includes market shopping and prep work.)

It takes patience, continuous stirring, and a bit of elbow grease, but having 10-12 jars of this in the cellar makes it all worth it.

INGREDIENTS (Makes ~10 jars / 370 ml each)

700–800 ml (3–3.4 cups / 24–27 fl oz) sunflower oil

250 g (1/2 lb / 8.8 oz) onions

2 kg (4.4 lbs) gogoșari (Capsicum annuum — if unavailable, use thick-walled red bell peppers or Kapia peppers)

1 L (4.2 cups / 33.8 fl oz) tomato juice

1 L (approx. 800 g / 1.7 lb) cooked beans

1 kg (2.2 lbs) carrots

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp food-grade preservative (optional)

Salt, whole peppercorns, bay leaves to taste

(Note: Quantities refer to vegetables after cleaning.)

Instructions

Grind all cleaned raw vegetables (peppers, carrots, onions) and cooked beans through a meat grinder into separate bowls. To start cooking, heat a portion of the oil in a large stockpot. Sauté the ground onions until translucent, then add the peppers and cook them down while stirring constantly—adding a splash of extra oil if needed to prevent sticking.

Next, stir in the ground carrots, another portion of oil, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Let everything simmer on medium-low heat until the carrots are fully softened.

Once the base is soft, add the ground beans and tomato juice. Simmer gently and keep stirring continuously to avoid burning, cooking until the mixture thickens and small droplets of oil float to the surface. Stir in the sugar right at the end.

Finally, ladle the piping-hot zacusca into clean, sterilized jars, leaving a little room at the top. Pour 4–5 tablespoons of very hot oil over each jar to create an airtight physical seal without needing chemical preservatives. Seal the lids tightly and wrap the hot jars in thick blankets to cool down slowly over 24 to 48 hours before moving them to storage.

Our family recipe ends like this: “We breathe a sigh of relief, but not too deeply—because we still have to wash up and clean the kitchen. We put away the giant pots for another year and try to forget the whole ordeal.” We usually make a triple batch.

There are endless variations of what people call the "authentic" or "original" Zacusca. Depending on the region or family, you'll find versions loaded with roasted eggplant (vinete), wild mushrooms like parasol mushrooms, or sweet corn.

Also, a quick heads-up on the oil: we use a bit more hot oil purely for physical preservation (to create that airtight seal without chemicals). If you prefer a lighter version or plan to eat it fresh, feel free to reduce the oil to your liking!

I’d like to know: How do you preserve your autumn harvest, or what’s your favorite version of a vegetable spread? Drop your ideas and family tricks in the comments!

* If you are interested in the background story or more tips, you can find the full blog post here