It’s hard to believe that more enterprising American breakfast menus don’t feature shakshuka (or for lunch or dinner, for that matter). Ana Sortun’s nearly year-old spot, Sofra Bakery and Cafe, in Cambridge, turns out a very tasty version, so possibly it’s poised to pop here.
A similar stew of vegetables and minced meat shakshuka or “goatee’’ dates to the Ottoman Empire. The egg version surfaced later all over North Africa and Spain before the expulsion of the Sephardic Jews.
“The egg is used like a piece of meat as a rich part of the meal,’’ says Sortun. Her take on shakshuka is spun less from a specific place than a questing palate. Interestingly, she dials up the flavor of her sauce with hawaj, a Yeminite mixture that includes tumeric, cumin, and coriander sourced from an Israeli spice merchant in New York and tops it with brilliant green zhoug, a spicy condiment made of peppers and sherry vinegar.
The dish is made in some form all around the Mediterranean. The Basque piperade, for example, begins with a similar saucy tomato mixture, but instead of poaching the eggs on top, they’re scrambled into the simmering sauce. The Turkish menemen includes the same ingredients baked into a thick omelet.
Properly turned out, shakshuka hits sweet, fiery, and filling notes all at once. Considering its heritage, it’s not surprising that the best known venue for shakshuka in Tel Aviv is operated by a native of Tripoli. The owner, Bino Gabso, would appear to know what he’s talking about. The restaurant is called Dr. Shakshuka and sits amid the bustle of Jaffa, the ancient port city out of which Tel Aviv grew. It’s a place that’s on every Israeli’s gastro-radar.
