Dan’s Shakshouka

Aslema! We’ve got a great recipe today with a Dan-O-Myte Shakshouka. Shakshouka is a versatile dish that can be made for a Dan-tastic breakfast, or a hearty dinner. Rich tomato sauce with fresh onion and bell peppe combines with savory breakfast sausage and tender eggs. Add in some feta or goat cheese, then add in some bread and you’ve got one satisfying meal. 

A bit on Shakshouka

Shakshouka is Maghrebi Arabic term for “a mixture”. The exact origin of the word is heavily contested, which is the case for many Maghrebi dishes and terms that are believed to hail from the language of the indigenous Amazigh people. In western Maghreb is referred to as bīḍ u-maṭiša, which translates to “egg and tomato”. The actual origin of the dish itself is also a contested subject. Algerian, Libyan, Morroccan, Tunisian, turkish,and Yemeni all claim origin to the dish.  However, we know that tomatoes and peppers are New World ingredients that only rose to popularity and commonacy in the later centuries after the Columbian exchange.

The dish has proven to be popular in both Jewish and Isareli culture. Orginally the dish was brought to Isarel by North Africian Jewish Immigrants in the 1950s/60s but only became popularised on menus in the 90s. However the Isarael Defense Force added a kosher verison of the dish made with loof (Kosher Spam) to the army’s rations in the 50s. In Jeiwsh culture, tomato stew is often made for the Sabbath dinner, and the leftovers are used the following morning to make breakfast shakshouka.