Sabich

Sabich

Course	Breakfast and Street food (entire country), Sandwich
Place of origin	Israel
Main ingredients	Traditionallylaffa,althoughpitais often used,eggplant,hard boiled eggs,salad,amba,parsley,tahinisauce, andhummus
Ingredients generally used	Potato, onion, andzhug
Media: Sabich

Sabichorsabih(Hebrew:סביח[saˈbiχ];Judeo-Iraqi Arabic:صبيح) is a sandwich ofpitaorlaffabread stuffed with friedeggplants,hard boiled eggs, chopped salad,parsley,ambaandtahinisauce.It is a staple ofIsraeli cuisine.Its ingredients are based on a traditional quick breakfast ofSephardic Jews.Sabich is sold in many businesses throughoutIsrael.

Etymology

Sabich as served in apita

There are several theories on the origin of the name sabich. Many credit the name to the first name of Sabih Tzvi Halabi,aJewishman born in Iraq and madealiyahto Israel who operated a small restaurant inRamat Gan.He is credited for originally serving the sandwich.Another theory is that sabich is an acronym of the Hebrew words "Salat, Beitsa, Yoter Ḥatsil"סלט ביצה יותר חציל,meaning "salad, egg, more eggplant". This is probably a humorous interpretation and hence abackronym.

History

The original Sabich Buffet in its current location

The idea of the sabich sandwich was most likely created in Israel byIraqi Jews,who emigratedin the 1940s and 1950s.On mornings when there was little time for a cooked breakfast, Iraqi Jews ate a cold meal of pre-cooked fried eggplant and hard-boiled eggs, either stuffed into a pita bread or with boiled potatoes. The eggplants would be cooked the night before.

In Israel, these ingredients eventually became popular as fast food. The dish is said to have been first sold in Israel in 1961 at a small stall on Uziel Street inRamat Gan.The restaurant was operated by "Sabich" Tzvi Halabi and Yaakov Sasson. The restaurant was very successful, and still operates only 500 meters from its original location to this day.

A version without the bread or pita is called sabich salad ( "סלט סביח" - "Salat Sabich" in Hebrew).

Ingredients

Sabich, served in pita bread, traditionally contains friedeggplantslices, hard-cooked eggs, a thintahinisauce (tahini,lemonjuice, andgarlic),Israeli Salad,choppedparsley,andamba.Some versions use boiled potatoes. Traditionally it is made withhaminadoseggs, slow-cooked inhaminuntil they turn brown. According to the consumer's preference it can be served topped with green or redzhugas a condiment and sprinkled with mincedonion.

Gallery

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See also

• Culture of Israel
• Cuisine of the Mizrahi Jews
• Israeli cuisine
• Jewish cuisine
• Middle Eastern cuisine