Shakshouka

Shakshouka is a Maghrebi dish where eggs are poached in a sauce made from tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic, typically seasoned with cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. It is widely eaten across North Africa and the Middle East.

Etymology

The word "shakshuka" means "mixture" in Algerian Arabic and "mixed" in Tunisian Arabic. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English term comes from multiple sources: an onomatopoeic Maghribi Arabic word linked to the verb shakshaka, meaning "to bubble, to sizzle, to be mixed up, to be beaten together," and the French word Chakchouka, which entered English in the nineteenth century after being borrowed into French from Algerian Arabic.

History

Historian Gil Marks notes similarities with the Ottoman dish menemen and suggests shakshouka evolved from şakşuka, which spread to the Maghreb under Ottoman influence. Anthony Buccini observed connections among a broader range of vegetable stews, and along with Noam Sienna, concluded that shakshouka, menemen, piperade, and ratatouille all belong to a family of vegetable stews with common origins across the western Mediterranean. The dish was brought to Israel by Maghrebi Jews migrating in the 1950s and became widely adopted there; it was not previously part of Palestinian or Levantine cuisine. Shakshouka began appearing in Israeli restaurants in the 1990s.

Variations

Many variations of the basic sauce exist, differing in spice and sweetness. Some cooks add preserved lemon, salty sheep milk cheeses, olives, harissa, or spicy sausages like chorizo or merguez. Eggs are usually poached but can also be scrambled, as in Turkish menemen. In Algeria, shakshouka is often a side dish with countless variations, such as hmiss, served with kesra bread and made with grilled peppers, tomatoes, and garlic.

Tunisia has slata meshouia, similar to hmiss but with onions, cumin, and tuna. In Syria, jaz maz is a similar eggs-and-tomatoes dish sometimes called shakshouka. Morocco has bīḍ w-maṭiša (egg and tomato).

In Egypt, the dish uses poached eggs in a spiced tomato sauce, with sautéed onions, garlic, bell peppers, cumin, paprika, and chili powder; it is garnished with parsley and cilantro, sometimes domiati cheese, and eaten with warm eish baladi, often for breakfast. Some versions include lamb mince, toasted whole spices, yogurt, and fresh herbs, with spices like coriander, caraway, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Tunisian cooks may add potatoes, broad beans, artichoke hearts, or courgettes. The North African dish matbukha can serve as a base for shakshouka.

Though often on breakfast menus in English-speaking countries, in the Arab world and Israel it is also a popular evening meal, like hummus and falafel. It may be served with pickled vegetables, merguez, bread, and mint tea.

In Jewish culture, a large batch of tomato stew may be made on Friday for Sabbath dinner, with leftovers used Sunday morning for shakshouka. In Andalusian cuisine, huevos a la flamenca includes chorizo and serrano ham. In Italian cuisine, uova in purgatorio (eggs in purgatory) adds garlic, basil, or parsley.