Shakshouka ( ar, 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 Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

paprika Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from '' Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder ...

and

cayenne pepper The cayenne pepper is a type of '' Capsicum annuum''. It is usually a moderately hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. Cayenne peppers are a group of tapering, 10 to 25 cm long, generally skinny, mostly red-colored peppers, often with ...

. According to Joan Nathan, shakshouka originated in Ottoman North Africa in the mid-16th century after tomatoes were introduced to the region by Hernan Cortés as part of the

Columbian exchange The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, precious metals, commodities, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the New World (the Americas) in ...

Etymology

The word ''shakshouka'' ( ar, شَكْشُوكَةٌ) is a

Maghrebi Arabic Maghrebi Arabic (, Western Arabic; as opposed to Eastern or Mashriqi Arabic) is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb region, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania. It includes Moroccan, Al ...

term for "a mixture". The exact provenance of the word is often contested, but, like the names of many Maghrebi dishes and terms, is believed to come from the language of the

Amazigh , image = File:Berber_flag.svg , caption = The Berber ethnic flag , population = 36 million , region1 = Morocco , pop1 = 14 million to 18 million , region2 = Algeria , pop2 ...

(or Berber) people indigenous to the region. In the western Maghreb, it is referred to as ''bīd wu matiša'' ( "egg and tomato").

History

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

. North African Jewish immigrants in Israel brought the dish in the 1950s and 1960s, though it only became popularised on menus in the 1990s.Gil Marks, ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Food'', Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010, , ''s.v.'', p. 547

Variations

Many variations of the basic sauce are possible, varying in spice and sweetness. Some cooks add preserved lemon, salty sheep milk cheeses, olives,

harissa Harissa ( ar, هريسة ''harīsa'', from Maghrebi Arabic) is a hot chili pepper paste, native to the Maghreb. The main ingredients are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers (), spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander ...

or a spicy sausage such as

chorizo Chorizo (, from Spanish ; similar to but distinct from Portuguese ) is a type of pork cured meat originating from the Iberian Peninsula. In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked meat, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, o ...

or merguez. Shakshouka is made with eggs which are commonly poached but can also be scrambled like the Turkish ''

menemen Menemen is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey and its central town. The district extends on a fertile plain formed by the alluvial soil carried by the Gediz River. Adjacent districts are, from east to west; Aliağa and Foça to the north ...

''.''Artzeinu: An Israel Encounter'', By Joel Lurie Grishaver, 2008 Some variations of shakshouka can be made with lamb mince, toasted whole spices, yogurt and fresh herbs. Spices can include ground

coriander Coriander (;

caraway Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has bee ...

cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

. Tunisian cooks may add potatoes, broad beans, artichoke hearts or courgettes to the dish. The North African dish '' matbukha'' can be used as a base for shakshouka. A shakhsouka made with a kosher version of Spam (called ''

loof Loof or Lööf (Swedish variant) is a Germanic surname that may refer to: *Anders Lööf (born 1961), Swedish male curler *Annie Lööf (born 1983), Swedish politician * Annika Lööf (born 1966), Swedish female curler * Augustine Loof (born 1996), ...

'') was added to IDF army rations in the 1950s. Because eggs are the main ingredient, it is often on breakfast menus in English-speaking countries, but in the Arab world as well as Israel, it is also a popular evening meal, and like

hummus Hummus (, ; ar, حُمُّص, 'chickpeas'; full Arabic name: ''ḥummuṣ bi-ṭ-ṭaḥīna'' ar, حمص بالطحينة, 'chickpeas with tahini'), also spelled hommus or houmous, is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savory dish made f ...

and

falafel Falafel (; ar, فلافل, ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter in Middle Eastern cuisine (especially in Levantine and Egyptian cuisines) made from ground chickpeas, broad beans, or both. Nowadays, falafel is often served in ...

, is a Levantine regional favorite. On the side, pickled vegetables and North African sausage called merguez might be served, or simply bread, with mint tea. In Jewish culture, a large batch of tomato stew is made for the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

dinner and the leftovers used the following morning to make a breakfast shakshouka with eggs. In Andalusian cuisine, the dish is known as '; this version includes

and serrano ham. in

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and later spread around the world together with w ...

, there is a version of this dish called (eggs in purgatory) that adds tomato paste, anchovy, garlic, basil or parsley, and sometimes

parmesan cheese Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' is ...

References

External links

* {{Cuisine of Morocco Arab cuisine Libyan cuisine Tunisian cuisine Algerian cuisine Moroccan cuisine Israeli cuisine Egg dishes National dishes Mizrahi Jewish cuisine Sephardi Jewish cuisine Maghrebi cuisine Ottoman cuisine Spanish cuisine Italian cuisine Meze Tomato dishes Breakfast Transatlantic cultural exchange Shabbat food Middle Eastern cuisine Berber cuisine Romani cuisine

Etymology

History

Variations

See also

References

External links