Shakshouka

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Shakshouka
Tomatoes, harissa, eggs, olive oil
Individual portion of shakshouka

Shakshouka (

Arabic: شكشوكة : šakšūkah, also spelled shakshuka or chakchouka) is a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. According to Joan Nathan, shakshouka originated in Ottoman North Africa in the mid-16th century after tomatoes were introduced to the region by Hernán Cortés as part of the Columbian exchange.[1] Shakshouka is a popular dish throughout the Middle East and North Africa.[2]

Etymology

The word shakshouka (

Arabic: شكشوكة) is a Maghrebi Arabic[3] term for "a mixture".[4][5][6][7] According to Mary Fitzgerald, the word is allegedly believed to come from the Berber languages,[8] although most sources agree on the term's Arabic origin. In Morocco, it is referred to as bīḍ w-maṭiša (بيض ومطيشة "egg and tomato").[9] The term shakshouka may have derived from "shak", another Arabic word meaning "to combine things together", as the dish combines tomatoes, chilies and eggs.[2]

History

The origin of the dish remains a matter of some controversy with competing claims of Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan, Tunisian, Egyptian, Turkish, and Yemeni origins.[10][11] Tomatoes and peppers are New World ingredients that only became common ingredients in later centuries after the Columbian exchange.

North African Jewish immigrants brought the dish to Israel in the 1950s and 1960s, though it only became popular on menus in the 1990s.[8][12]

Variations

Merguez shakshuka
Vegan shakshouka, with falafel in place of eggs

Many variations of the basic sauce are possible, varying in spice and sweetness. Some cooks add preserved lemon, salty sheep milk cheeses, olives, harissa or a spicy sausage such as chorizo or merguez.[13] Shakshouka is made with eggs, which are commonly poached but can also be scrambled, like in the Turkish menemen.[14][12]

In Algeria, shakshouka is commonly eaten as a side dish, and there are countless variations of it, each with their own unique blend of ingredients. One such variation is hmiss, which is often served alongside traditional kesra bread. Hmiss typically includes grilled peppers, tomatoes, and garlic. In Tunisia, a similar dish called slata meshouia is enjoyed, but it differs from hmiss with the addition of onions, cumin and tuna.

Some variations of shakshouka can be made with

matbukha can be used as a base for shakshouka.[19]

A shakshouka made with a

kosher version of Spam (called loof) was added to Israel Defense Forces army rations in the 1950s.[20][21]

Because eggs are the main ingredient, it often appears on breakfast menus in English-speaking countries, but in the Arab world as well as Israel, it is also a popular evening meal,[22] and like hummus and falafel, is a Levantine regional favorite.[10] On the side, pickled vegetables and North African sausage called merguez might be served, or simply bread, with mint tea.[23]

In Jewish culture, a large batch of tomato stew is made for the

serrano ham.[24] In Italian cuisine, there is a version of this dish called uova in purgatorio (eggs in purgatory) that adds garlic, basil or parsley.[25]

See also

References

  1. . Shakshuka was born in Ottoman North Africa in the mid-sixteenth century
  2. ^ a b Salah, Maha (14 February 2020). "Shakshuka". Middle East Monitor.
  3. from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  4. from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  5. from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  6. from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  7. ^ Jakob, Ben (2017-06-06). "How Shakshuka, Israel's Famous Breakfast Dish, Took the World By Storm". Culture Trip. Archived from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  8. ^ a b Fitzgerald, Mary (Apr 24, 2021). "Shakshuka: All mixed up over a brilliant breakfast". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  9. ^ "وداعا "البيض ومطيشة"". Hespress - هسبريس جريدة إلكترونية مغربية (in Arabic). 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  10. ^ a b Josephs, Bernard (2009-10-08). "Shakshuka: Israel's hottest breakfast dish". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  11. .
  12. ^ , s.v., p. 547
  13. ^ "Shakshuka recipe". The Guardian. February 18, 2012.
  14. ^ Joel Lurie Grishaver (2008). Artzeinu: An Israel Encounter.
  15. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  16. ^ "Shakshouka Recipe – Tunisian Recipes". PBS Food. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  17. ^ Clark, Melissa. "Shakshuka With Feta Recipe". NYT Cooking. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  18. .
  19. ^ Gur, Janna (2014). Jewish Soul Food: From Minsk to Marrakesh.
  20. ^ Steinberg, Jessica (20 November 2012). "The rationale behind the rations". The Times of Israel.
  21. .
  22. from the original on 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  23. ^ Ashkenazi, Michael (2020). Food Cultures of Israel: Recipes, Customs, and Issues. p. 89.
  24. .
  25. ^ "Uova in purgatorio". La Cucina italiana (in Italian). 20 August 2015. Retrieved 2023-06-24.

External links