שקשוקה

The Arabic word shakshuka, or shakshouka, derives from the Maghrebi Arabic word meaning 'a mixture' or 'to shake, to mix.' The root shk suggests stirring, mixing, agitating — which describes the technique: tomatoes, peppers, and spices cooked together until thick, then eggs cracked into the mixture and poached in the sauce.

The dish's origin is contested in the way all beloved foods' origins are contested. Tunisia claims it as Tunisian. Libya claims it. The Ottoman Empire serves as a common ancestor — tomatoes and peppers arrived in the Middle East via the Ottomans from the Americas in the 16th century, so the dish cannot be older than that. Yemen has a claim through a tradition of eggs cooked in spiced sauce called bisbas.

Jewish immigrants from North Africa — primarily Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco — brought shakshuka to Israel in the 1950s. The dish became associated with Israeli breakfast culture so thoroughly that many Israelis assumed it was Israeli. Haaretz columnist Ronit Vered documented its Libyan-Tunisian origins in the 2000s, to considerable surprise.

The global spread began in the 2010s, carried by food bloggers and chefs interested in Israeli and Levantine cuisine. By 2015, shakshuka was on restaurant menus in London, New York, and Sydney. The mixed-up egg dish had mixed itself into the global food vocabulary.