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Prague · 28 Cheshvan 5787

Shabbat this week · 16:02–17:11

Mizrahi

Shakshuka

שַׁקְשׁוּקָהAwaiting expert review

Eggs poached in a spicy sauce of tomatoes and peppers with cumin. A North African dish, today a symbol of the Israeli breakfast.

Servings
4 servings
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Difficulty
easy
Kashrut · pareveCategory by ingredients, not a certification. Details below.
Shakshuka

Ingredients

4
servings

Method

  1. Step 1: Heat the oil in a wide (28 cm) frying pan and sauté the chopped onion in it for 5 minutes until soft.

  2. Step 2: Add the peppers cut into strips and fry for another 8 minutes until softened.

  3. Step 3: Add the chopped garlic, cumin, paprika, harissa and tomato paste and cook for a minute.

  4. Step 4: Pour in the tomatoes, crush them with a wooden spoon, add the sugar and salt and simmer uncovered for 10–15 minutes until thickened.

  5. Step 5: Use the spoon to make 6 hollows in the sauce and crack an egg into each.

  6. Step 6: Cover with a lid and leave over low heat for 6–8 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.

  7. Step 7: Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve straight from the pan with bread (pita, challah).

Tips

  • Crack each egg into a separate small bowl before adding it; this makes it easy to check for blood spots and shell fragments.

History and origins

HistoryMizrahimIsrael⁂ To verify

Shakshuka comes from the Maghreb (Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco), where both Jews and Muslims made it. Immigrants from North Africa brought it to Israel in the 1950s and 1960s, and it became part of everyday Israeli cooking.1

Regional variations

Modern practiceIsrael

The Tunisian version is often hotter, with harissa; other families add eggplant, zucchini, potatoes or merguez. In Israel, "green shakshuka" with spinach and herbs and versions with cheese are common.

Sources