Shakshuka

[ChefCrash]

@Nicolai, @sazji, @Hassouni and others, I'm trying to find some history on this. While it's being made in one form or another these days, I'd never heard of this dish growing up in Lebanon.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

David Libovitz suggests it's from North Africa.

[Hassouni]

There's a Turkish version that I've also seen in Lebanon that appears to be eggplant chunks cooked in onion and tomato sauce, or something like that. No idea what relation it has to the eggy Tunisian version that has been made famous around the world by Israeli chefs.

[shain]

2 hours ago, Hassouni said:

There's a Turkish version that I've also seen in Lebanon that appears to be eggplant chunks cooked in onion and tomato sauce, or something like that. No idea what relation it has to the eggy Tunisian version that has been made famous around the world by Israeli chefs.

 

Turks have the menemen, which is very similar to shakshuka. 

The shakshuka probably originated from North Africa, possibly Tunisia.

Eggs with tomatoes is an easily established combination, with variations all over the world, so it's hard to know origins for sure.

[Nicolai]

The jury still out but logical culinary history states that dishes emanated based on the resources of a country.

In which case, North Africa is closer to Spain and the Spaniards got the Tomatoes from Latin America (Aztec...etc).

 

So my money is on North Africa

 

Egypt and the Levant are Johnny come lately.

[shawarma_prince]

On 7/7/2020 at 7:14 AM, Nicolai said:

The jury still out but logical culinary history states that dishes emanated based on the resources of a country.

In which case, North Africa is closer to Spain and the Spaniards got the Tomatoes from Latin America (Aztec...etc).

 

So my money is on North Africa

 

Egypt and the Levant are Johnny come lately.

 

There's a similar Spanish dish apparently.

 

https://www.tasteatlas.com/huevos-a-la-flamenca

[Nicolai]

On 7/8/2020 at 11:05 PM, shawarma_prince said:

 

There's a similar Spanish dish apparently.

 

https://www.tasteatlas.com/huevos-a-la-flamenca

 

Yes. You are correct.

[liuzhou]

How to eat: shakshuka

This latest, slightly tongue-in-cheek "How to eat" article from today's Guardian has opinions.

Note: Suggesting in the comments that the way to eat it is to put it in your mouth leads to permanent ostracism from polite society in the UK. Someone always falls into the trap, though.

Also relevant is this discussion of recipes.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[shain]

 

5 hours ago, liuzhou said:

This latest, slightly tongue-in-cheek "How to eat" article from today's Guardian has opinions.

 

I don't understand the hate of bell peppers... Good quality ripe bell peppers are sweet and flavorful with only hints of herbal-bitterness which you find in most of chilies... One of my shakshuka recipes uses about equal portions of tomatoes and peppers (that's the version I make when tomatoes are off season, which happens to be when peppers are at their best here).

Compared to many dishes, I think that at least here in Israel shakshuka can have plenty of variation - some add onions, some peppers, long cooked and thick vs briefly cooked and fresh tasting, spics, toppings (anything from feta, sausages, tahini). I think the only thing which is expected is bread - it has to have a fluffy enough crumb to absorb the eggs and sauce, I like to toast it whole so that the crust crisps but the interior doesn't. Serving from the pan is also almost expected at restaurants, I think this was originally done in sake of convenience and time saving, but it's also helps keep things hot and helps avoid breaking the eggs when transferring. Also, the part that sticks to the pan is usually the best.

[liuzhou]

8 minutes ago, shain said:

I don't understand the hate of bell peppers.

 

I do! They are heading into c@rn territory!

[shain]

6 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

I do! They are heading into c@rn territory!

 

Interesting, I can understand the dislike of both by people who may be sensitive to some specific tastes of both, but I wouldn't say those flavors are similar - peppers can be offensive since they have bitter medicinal notes, and corn has this buttery/corny/foxy flavor (beyond the general grain and starch flavors which I doubt are offensive).

 

Also, using (mild) fresh or dried chilies is a great alternative to bell peppers.

Edited April 3, 2021 by shain (log)

[heidih]

11 minutes ago, shain said:

I don't understand the hate of bell peppers...

I don't hate the taste even o green, but they hate me. Even the smell o green makes me queasy; Red ripe I do like but I don't want to experience them or hours. I buy this and eat but it still has a more tempered repeat experience on  me. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/09/ajvar-serbian-roasted-red-pepper-sauce-recipe.html

[shain]

14 minutes ago, heidih said:

I don't hate the taste even o green, but they hate me. Even the smell o green makes me queasy; Red ripe I do like but I don't want to experience them or hours. I buy this and eat but it still has a more tempered repeat experience on  me. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/09/ajvar-serbian-roasted-red-pepper-sauce-recipe.html

 

Bummer

I love ajvar - great stuff with salty cheese and/or eggs.

[heidih]

20 minutes ago, shain said:

 

Bummer

I love ajvar - great stuff with salty cheese and/or eggs.

The Persian and Halal markets near me have a great selection olives and salty style cheeses. It all works together with the pita they sell. Lovely herbs and tomatoes - all good

[Kerry Beal]

58 minutes ago, shain said:

 

 

I don't understand the hate of bell peppers... Good quality ripe bell peppers are sweet and flavorful with only hints of herbal-bitterness which you find in most of chilies... One of my shakshuka recipes uses about equal portions of tomatoes and peppers (that's the version I make when tomatoes are off season, which happens to be when peppers are at their best here).

Compared to many dishes, I think that at least here in Israel shakshuka can have plenty of variation - some add onions, some peppers, long cooked and thick vs briefly cooked and fresh tasting, spics, toppings (anything from feta, sausages, tahini). I think the only thing which is expected is bread - it has to have a fluffy enough crumb to absorb the eggs and sauce, I like to toast it whole so that the crust crisps but the interior doesn't. Serving from the pan is also almost expected at restaurants, I think this was originally done in sake of convenience and time saving, but it's also helps keep things hot and helps avoid breaking the eggs when transferring. Also, the part that sticks to the pan is usually the best.

A lot of the hate is green bell peppers - many of us will eat the red, orange, yellow bells but avoid (or pick out) the green in most dishes. 

[Anna N]

17 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

A lot of the hate is green bell peppers - many of us will eat the red, orange, yellow bells but avoid (or pick out) the green in most dishes. 

Absolutely. I love bell peppers in general but despise the green ones. 

[liuzhou]

19 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

A lot of the hate is green bell peppers

 

Yes. I'll eat the yellow ones; the red if I have to. But not the green.

[shain]

I dislike green bells as well, but they definitely don't fall under "high quality ripe peppers".

I never noticed much difference between reds and yellows.

[heidih]

1 hour ago, shain said:

I dislike green bells as well, but they definitely don't fall under "high quality ripe peppers".

I never noticed much difference between reds and yellows.

Me either - but the mind holds power

[slo_ted]

I never met a pepper I did not like unless it was hotter than a Habanero.  I grew up with a regular rotation of stuffed green Bells--there were no other colors available in the stores in Austin and no lettuce other than ice berg in the 50's,

[weinoo]

4 hours ago, slo_ted said:

I never met a pepper I did not like unless it was hotter than a Habanero.  I grew up with a regular rotation of stuffed green Bells--there were no other colors available in the stores in Austin and no lettuce other than ice berg in the 50's,

 

Trust me...in NYC in the 50s/60s, that was the only thing available as well.  Though the only way I saw green bells was in slices on a "salad." I still don't mind them; just don't find myself going out of my way to find and/or use them, when so many other colors are available year-round.

 

And they were often, along with onions and carrots, the only vegetables included in many Chinese American restaurant stir-fries.

[liuzhou]

17 minutes ago, weinoo said:

And they were often, along with onions and carrots, the only vegetables included in many Chinese American restaurant stir-fries.

 

They are commonly used in Cantonese cooking, but not so much elsewhere in China. Neither are onions.

Carrots a bit more, but not so much as everyone imagines. Every video for fried rice on YouTube seems to include carrots. Not usually used here. In fact, one way to say 'carrot' in Chinese literally means 'foreign radish'!

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by liuzhou (log)