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Israel's favorite comfort food, shakshuka, is a hot taste trend rich in tradition, global influences
Shakshuka performs a rare dual feat of flavor.
The savory tomato stew, typically made with aromatic herbs and eggs, is steeped in Israeli tradition. Yet it boasts global culinary currency as a hot food trend from the Middle East to Middle America.
Shakshuka recipes are passed down through generations and often served on holidays, such as Passover, which begins on Monday, April 22, at dusk.
Yet it's also served by celebrated chefs or found on buzzy internet lists for trend-setting "in the know" foodies.
"Shakshuka is at the heart of Israeli culture," chef Avi Shemtov, the Israeli-American chef-owner of Simcha in Sharon, Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital.
"It’s a dish that every home makes a little differently and everyone desperately wants to show off and share."
More importantly, said Shemtov, "just like any food from the Jewish culture, it shows our global journey and where we’ve come from."
"Shakshuka was born in Ottoman North Africa in the mid-16th century," author Joan Nathan wrote in the 2017 book, "King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around The World."
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"Its name comes from an Arabic and Hebrew word meaning ‘all mixed up.’"
Shakshuka, in other words, is of Arab and Islamic origin, which makes it quite typical of food in Israel.
Though the world's only Jewish state, Israel boasts one of the world's most diverse populations.
More than 20% of Israel's 9.4 million residents are Arab.
About 72% are Jewish, but more than half of them are Sephardic: non-European Jews of Turkish, Persian, Arab and African descent, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.
As a result, its food is among the most diverse in the world, too.
The foundation of the shakshuka is even more far-flung than North Africa or the Arab world. It comes all the way from the Western Hemisphere.
Tomatoes are native to the New World. They arrived in the Old World – Africa, Asia, Europe – only after Columbus’s voyages first landed in the Americas in 1492.
Shakshuka today is enjoying a moment of stardom in both Old and New Worlds.
Dr. Shakshuka, a restaurant in Tel Aviv, said Shemtov, is "probably the most famous" shakshuka eatery on the planet and enjoys worldwide critical acclaim.
"People have flocked to this restaurant for authentic Tripolitan food," TimeOut.com enthused in 2020, noting that Dr. Shakshuka's namesake dish is offered "in many different renditions; try it with mushrooms, or shawarma, or a selection of other amazing add-ins."
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Café Nadi serves the "BEST" shakshuka in Jerusalem, proclaims The Israel Bites.
"Their Green Shakshuka is my favorite shakshuka of all time," the site reports.
"It is just perfectly cooked greens with poached eggs, feta, and pine nuts on top. The feta melts while you are eating it."
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A travel writer for The Jerusalem Post reported last year that the Farmhouse at Bat Shlomo, a rural luxury resort in Israel, serves "one of the best shakshuka I have ever tasted."
The wine-centric villa was founded in 1889 by Baron Edmond Rothschild.
World-class shakshuka is found here in the United States, too.
Shemtov said his favorites – in addition to his own restaurant Simcha – are served at Balaboosta in New York City, MishMish Cafe in Montclair, New Jersey, and Saba in New Orleans, Louisiana.
"Shakshuka is the perfect food," said Shemtov. "It’s communal, it’s easily accessible, and it’s adaptable. You can make it with whatever you want, and eat it at any time of day. Just make sure you’re sharing it with someone."
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