Shakshouka

Shakshouka(Arabic:شكشوكة,romanized:šakšūkah), also spelledshakshukaorchakchouka, is aMaghrebidish of eggspoachedin a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic, commonly spiced withcumin,paprikaandcayenne pepper. Shakshouka is a popular dish throughoutNorth Africaand theMiddle East.
Shakshukais a word for "mixture" inAlgerian Arabicand "mixed" inTunisian Arabic.TheOxford English Dictionarydescribes it as being of multiple origins, anonomatopoeicMaghribi Arabic word, related to the verbshakshakameaning "to bubble, to sizzle, to be mixed up, to be beaten together," and theFrenchwordChakchouka, which was borrowed into English in the nineteenth century.Chakchoukawas borrowed into French from Algerian Arabic.
Gil Marks, while noting some similarities with the Ottoman dishmenemen, suggests that shakshouka evolved fromşakşukawhich spread to the Maghreb through the influence of the Ottoman Empire.Anthony Buccini noted similarities between a wider range of vegetable stews. He andNoam Siennaconclude that both shakshouka and menemen, among other dishes likepiperadeandratatouille, are members of a wider family of vegetable stews of common ancestry appearing throughout the western Mediterranean.
The migration ofMaghrebi Jewsin the 1950s brought the dish to Israel, where it was subsequently widely adopted. The dish was not previously present inPalestinianorLevantine cuisine.Shakshouka began appearing in Israeli restaurants in the 1990s.
Many variations of the basic sauce are possible, varying in spice and sweetness. Some cooks addpreserved lemon, saltysheep milk cheeses, olives,harissaor a spicy sausage such aschorizoormerguez.Shakshouka is made with eggs, which are commonly poached but can also be scrambled, like in the Turkishmenemen.
InAlgeria, 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 ishmiss, which is often served alongside traditionalkesra bread. Hmiss typically includes grilled peppers, tomatoes, and garlic. InTunisia, a similar dish calledslata meshouiais enjoyed, but it differs from hmiss with the addition of onions, cumin and tuna.
In Morocco, there is a dish referred to asbīḍ w-maṭiša(بيض ومطيشة"egg and tomato").
Some variations of shakshouka can be made withlamb mince, toasted whole spices, yogurt and fresh herbs.Spices can include groundcoriander,caraway,paprika,cuminandcayenne pepper.Tunisian cooks may add potatoes, broad beans, artichoke hearts or courgettes to the dish.TheNorth Africandishmatbukhacan be used as a base for shakshouka.
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,and likehummusandfalafel, is a Levantine regional favorite.On the side, pickled vegetables and North African sausage calledmerguezmight be served, or simply bread, with mint tea.
In Jewish culture, a large batch of tomato stew may be made on Friday for theSabbathdinner and the leftovers used on Sunday morning to make a breakfast shakshouka with eggs.InAndalusian cuisine, the dish is known ashuevos a la flamenca; this version includeschorizoandserrano ham.InItalian cuisine, there is a version of this dish calleduova in purgatorio(eggs in purgatory) that adds garlic, basil or parsley.