Roasting peppers with Philip Evans in North Macedonia

Philip Evans moved to North Macedonia in 2009 from the UK where he worked in catering and web and social media design. And although he never intended to start a food business, he soon felt the need to introduce the world to a Macedonian foodie secret — aivar.

Aivar is a roasted pepper and eggplant spread that’s like hummus to the Middle East or pesto to Italy. It’s spread on toast and sprinkled with a tangy goat cheese and traditionally eaten for breakfast in the winter months. It’s the first product Philip and his partner Andrej launched under the brand Pelagonia in 2012 and since have expanded their offering to include three additional mezes, antipasti and jams.

As a side note, after I spoke with Philip, I went to my local green grocer in London where four of his products are sold and the owner said: “Tell him that I’m Italian and whenever I get homesick I open a jar of his roasted eggplant and everything feels okay again. It’s a little sun kissed treat from home and in some of the darkest nights of the Covid-19 pandemic a real lifesaver.”

I bet very few people could pinpoint North Macedonia on a map, and probably fewer have heard of…