Ajika () is a flavored sauce or dip made mainly in the Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia and the region of Mingrelia. It is often used to flavor food. Ajika is primarily capsicum-based and usually includes other spices such as coriander or utskho suneli. Common varieties of ajika resemble Italian red pesto in appearance and consistency, although a dry version also exists. Though it is usually red, green ajika is also made with unripe peppers.
The dish is also prepared in Sakarya, Turkey among the Abaza people and is patented by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.
In 2018, ajika was included on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list.
The word ajika comes from the Abkhaz language and means 'salt'. However, in the Mingrelian language, a sharp linguistic distinction is maintained: the native word for salt is jim (á¯áÂÂáÂÂá·), while ajika (áÂÂá¯áÂÂáÂÂáÂÂ) refers exclusively to the spicy condiment. While the name is a Northwest Caucasian loanword, the dish is a defining staple of Mingrelian cuisine. In the Abkhaz language, the condiment is formally known as apyrpyl-jika (pepper-salt), whereas the standalone term ajika became the standardized name for the specific Mingrelian preparation. This distinction confirms that in the Mingrelian tradition, Ajika is not a synonym for salt, but a unique, processed condiment.