Ever been to the Middle East before? Well, it’s pretty awesome.
When I returned from my Birthright trip, I missed the Israeli food and culture that I was exposed to everyday. I still miss the history, I miss the people and I miss the food.
The Middle East has historic buildings, countless beautiful sites and some of the best food you’ll ever have. Foods, like shakshuka, halva, and hummus have made Middle Eastern food world famous.
There was one in particular that changed my life. At Aricha Sabich in Jerusalem, I learned the power of Israeli sabich. But what is this magical street food?
My name is sandwich. Breakfast sandwich.
Okay, so here are the ingredients of the famed sabich. The ingredients should include fried (or roasted) eggplant, hard boiled eggs, amba sauce, tahini sauce, and some Israeli salad.
You take all of that goodness and shove it into a pita to make one of the most amazing things you’ll consume on this earth.
In the Middle East, sabich is considered a sandwich and sometimes even breakfast. What an awesome start to the day.
Completely Underrated.
When people want Middle Eastern food, what do they want? Stuff they’ve heard of before—Falafel, shawarma, hummus, and pita bread.
People want what they are familiar with, and unfortunately, most have never even heard of this cultural dish. Sabich never even comes to mind because of how underrated it is.
Culture
All in all, sabich is a cultural tradition, like shakshuka or halva.
Created by the Jewish-Iraqi community, this Middle Eastern treat was originally eaten as Shabbat Breakfast (no cooking is required). Iraqi Jews thought this was the perfect meal to bring to the Jewish state.
So, in the 1950s, sabich was brought to Israel and adopted by countless street vendors. As more vendors sold this tasty dish, sabich quickly turned into one of Israel’s most popular street foods.
Congrats, now you’ve heard of sabich (if you hadn’t before, you foodie genius)!
You have to try it as soon as possible. Here are a few places that’ll give you the goods: Taïm (New York), Hummusology (Philadelphia), Ta-eem Grill (Los Angeles), and Hummus Factory (Ontario, Canada).
If DIY is more your style, you can always make your own sabich at home with this recipe.