Shatta () is a

hot sauce Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa (sauce), salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of Mass production, mass-produced hot sauce exist. History Humans have used chili peppers and other ho ...

popular in the in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, and especially in the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

. It is made from fresh chili peppers, salt,

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

, and

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

, which are mixed together and then left to ferment.

Name

The word ''shatta'' () simply means "hot pepper" in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, as such, the term "shatta" is sometimes used in Arabic as a catch all for hot pepper sauce, like

sriracha Sriracha ( or ; , ) is a type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, pickled garlic, sugar, and salt. It was first produced in 1932 by a native of Si Racha, a town and district of Thailand, though ...

for example. Sometimes the name ''Shatta Shamiyya'' () is used to refer to this condiment in Arabic. Another name for this is ''Filfil Mat’hoon'' ().

Ingredients and preparation

Traditional shatta is made by crushing red or green chili peppers and then letting them undergo lactic fermentation with salt for several days. Common additions include garlic,

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

lemon juice The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

, or olive oil. The texture of the paste can range from ground and pourable to chunky depending on how its processed, the peppers can be chopped, passed through a

food processor A food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate repetitive tasks in the preparation of food. Today, the term almost always refers to an electric-motor-driven appliance, although there are some manual devices also referred to as "food ...

, or pounded by mortar and pestle. The fermentation process can be skipped and the paste may be immediately served after preparation. After preparation is done, the sauce should be stored in sterilized jars, which contain no moisture to prevent spoilage. The peppers used are usually fresh, they can be green or red, which will affect the color of the resulting condiment, the type of chili used can vary.

Culinary uses

Shatta is used to enhance the flavor of many dishes, such as

falafel Falafel (; , ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin that features in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines. It is made from ground fava beans, chickpeas, or both, and mixed with herbs and spic ...

hummus Hummus (, ; , , also spelled hommus or houmous), (full name: Hummus Bi Tahini) is a Levantine cuisine, Levantine Dip (food), dip, spread (food), spread, or savory Dish (food), dish made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, le ...

, grilled meats, and roasted vegetables. It can be used as dip, dressing, or garnish.

Popularity

Shatta is popular across the middle east, and particularly popular in the

region and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, its a staple in Gazan cuisine. In many restaurants started by the

Arab diaspora Arab diaspora is a term that refers to descendants of the Arab emigrants who, voluntarily or forcibly, migrated from their native lands to non-Arab countries, primarily in the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia, and West Africa. Immigrants from ...

outside the middle east, shatta is served as condiment.{{cite news , title=A new falafel stand in Koreatown stays open so late it also serves great breakfast , url=https://www.latimes.com/food/newsletter/2024-05-04/tasting-notes-salam-falafel-koreatown-bill-addison-tasting-notes , access-date=25 May 2025 , work=Los Angeles Times , date=4 May 2024

References

Arab cuisine Levantine cuisine Hot sauces Middle Eastern cuisine Yemeni cuisine Chili sauce and paste

Name

Ingredients and preparation

Culinary uses

Popularity

See also

References