The Popular Meal Shakshuka Crosses Cultures in Israel

One of the best ways for people of different cultures to connect is through food. A popular Middle Eastern dish called shakshuka achieves that cultural connection without even trying. Although you can find it across the region, I’m pretty sure the only place in the Middle East that personally I’ve found shakshuka is in Israel. I’ve enjoyed it all over the country, both in restaurants and in people’s homes. This is a hearty hot meal which you can rely on to taste great no matter where you eat it.

This dish consists of poached eggs mixed into a sauce made of tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, cheese and lots of spices like cumin and nutmeg. Other ingredients are often used as well, depending on who cooks it. There are many different versions of shakshouka.

Shakshuka, or at least dishes resembling it, have been around the Middle East and North Africa for a very long time. This is an ancient dish from an ancient region. Shakshouka actually dates back to the Ottoman Empire. No one really knows precisely which country in the region is responsible for inventing shakshouka. However, many believe it was someone in Tunisia or Turkey who first cooked some version of it.

Many Jewish people throughout the years have immigrated to Israel from across the Middle East and North Africa. This is how shakshuka made its way into Israel.

You won’t find this hearty meal in every single restaurant you visit in the country, but you will find it across the country’s cultures. Both Israelis and Palestinians eat shakshuka, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I ordered the shakshuka in this photo from a little restaurant in a Palestinian area, namely the Christian quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. You can see that this version of shakshouka is baked in an iron serving dish. In the background is pita bread, another cross-cultural food found throughout the Middle East.

Someday, the wars will end and people will start going to Israel again. If you travel to Israel in the future, make sure you try some shakshuka at some point. Guaranteed, it will taste great.