Diego Velazquez. Old woman frying eggs. 1618
Shakshuka, the beloved dish of vegetables, tomatoes, spices and poached eggs from North Africa, has captured the palates of foodies across the globe. Traditionally served for breakfast, it is now enjoyed at any time of day, a testament to its versatility and appeal. Let’s explore the origins, variations and significance of this culinary delight.
Shakshuka, the popular, delicious dish, made with cooked tomatoes, bell peppers, olive oil, cumin and other spices topped with poached eggs, served in a small frying pan, is usually eaten for breakfast in Israel and along with the main meal at dinner in Algeria.
In North Africa, shakshuka appeared in the sixteenth century, when local chefs first came across tomatoes and peppers. These vegetables were brought to the region by Hernán Cortés as a result of the Columbian Exchange, which was the widespread transfer of people, animals, plants, diseases, and ideas between Africa and Eurasia on one side and the Americas on the other, following Christopher Columbus’s journey in 1492. In the mid-fifteenth century, Cortés took part in a military operation in Algeria as part of the Spanish army. The military operation was unsuccessful, but the encounter with the tomato region was very successful indeed.
All of Maghrib, which consists of modern-day Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, soon incorporated these new vegetables into their cuisine. Today, shakshuka is one of the most popular dishes in North Africa and the Middle East. In Morocco, it is called bīḍ w-maṭiša, which means ‘egg and tomato’. In Israel, this egg dish has acquired a cult status and is served in one-person portions in the small frying pan it was cooked in.
Variations of Shakshuka
Although shakshuka is often called ‘Israeli fried eggs’, Jewish immigrants from North Afriсa brought the dish to Israel only in the 1950s. As someone who has visited Israel and tried shakshuka in various cafes in Jerusalem, I can say that the correctly prepared dish in that country is a mix of fried tomatoes, bell peppers and onions cooked in olive oil with spices to a soft, but not sloppy, consistency with poached eggs placed on top of this mixture and garnished with fresh coriander. Shakshuka is cooked covered so that the yolk cooks to a slightly liquid form. Sometimes, chilli is added to taste, and most Israelis do this as spicy food is quite popular in this part of the world.
There are many regional variations of shakshuka. Any part of the dish can be different, from the consistency to the spiciness of the base tomato sauce and the ingredients added into it. Some chefs add lemon or salty cheese made from sheep’s milk. Others add olives, for how can one do without those in the Mediterranean. One can also add spicy sausage, such as chorizo or merguez, a spicy sausage made from lamb or beef. In Turkey, the eggs are cooked in the same way as an omelette, although this variation is considered far too extreme, frowned upon by many fans.
Despite its popularity, shakshuka is quite expensive in restaurants. In 2024 in London, the price varies from £10 to £16 per portion, and learning to cook it at home is useful. Lazy cooks dreaming about shakshuka for breakfast can use tinned peppers and tomato paste to cook the base sauce, and the main thing to remember is to not overcook the sauce or the eggs.
classic shakshuka recipe.
Ingredients
6 eggs
5 tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bell pepper
1 sweet onion (Yalta onion, shallot or leek)
3 cloves garlic
¼ chilli pepper
100 grams feta cheese
Thyme, cumin, oregano, to taste
Fresh parsley/coriander, for garnish
Salt, to taste
Olive oil
Method
Blanch the tomatoes and remove the skin. Chop onion and pepper into small pieces. Then, add olive to a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and dried spices, and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Once the vegetables are cooked, make deep wells in the sauce and carefully break the eggs into them, taking care not to damage the yolks. Add small cubes of cheese, cover and cook for another couple of minutes. It is important to not overcook as the yolks must remain runny! Take the pan off the heat, take off the lid, garnish with fresh coriander, and serve with a pita-style bread that can be dipped into the yolks and sauce. This recipe is enough to make shakshuka for two or three people.
Shakshouka/Alamy
The term ‘comfort food’ refers to simple, popular dishes in various countries that often evoke sentimental feelings and nostalgic memories—‘just like my grandma used to make’. If there is ever a competition of comfort foods, shakshuka has a very good chance of taking first place: many locals from the Middle East and North Africa start smiling and sighing sentimentally.