Shakshuka

At a glance

What you’re tasting

A cumin-scented sauce of tomatoes, peppers, and onions simmers until jammy, then eggs poach gently in little wells. Chili heat is adjustable; feta or zhug sometimes join. Warm bread is mandatory for swiping the last red streaks.

The place

Tel Aviv’s humid Mediterranean coast hosts a café society that eats late and inventively. Immigrant foodways from across the Maghreb and Middle East shaped the modern Israeli pantry. Shakshuka thrives in that mix as both breakfast and dinner. Locally it is known as xacxuca.

Dish history

Shakshuka has Maghrebi roots—related egg-and-tomato pans appear across Tunisia, Libya, and beyond—and became widespread in Israel through Jewish immigration from North Africa. Tel Aviv cafés helped globalize the dish in the twenty-first century. Countless regional toppings now exist, but the pepper-tomato-egg core remains. It is a diaspora success story that still tastes best in a well-seasoned skillet. Shakshouka is a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Shakshouka is a popular dish throughout North Africa and the Middle East.

Where you’ll find it

Café menus from Rothschild to Jaffa, home skillets on weekends, and market stalls near Carmel. Hotel breakfasts serve tourist versions; locals prefer places that keep yolks runny. Beach days often end with a shared pan.

Why people love it

Shakshuka delivers runny yolk luxury in a bright, spicy tomato bed. One pan feeds the table. Bread turns it into a complete, hands-on meal.