Hawawshi (sometimes spelled ''hawwaoshi''; arz, حواوشي; ) is a traditional
Egyptian dish. It is a
pita
Pita ( or ) or pitta (British English), is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, als ...
stuffed with
minced meat and spiced with
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...
s,
pepper
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
,
parsley
Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...
, and occasionally
chilies. The major variants of hawawshi are "baladi" (standard) and Alexandrian.
In most of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, it is baked by filling the flat Egyptian bread with the meat mix and then baking it in the oven. In
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, the ingredients are placed between two circular layers of
dough
Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening ag ...
, then baked in an oven. Alexandrian hawawshi also usually have different spices and seasonings.
Hawawshi has spread to other countries in the
Middle East and North Africa with some variation. In the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
, it is made using
saj bread
Saj bread ( ar, خبز صاج, khubz ṣāj, tr, sac ekmeği) or tava bread ( hi, तवा रोटी, tavā roṭī) is unleavened flatbread in Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines baked on a metal griddle, called ''saj'' in Arabic and ' ...
and includes hot peppers in the filling.
In
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
, it is known as "muhajib" and is eaten with soup or a yoghurt salad.
Hawawshi is commonly made in Egyptian homes and is also served in some restaurants, usually as a
take-away. Prices at restaurants range from
£E30 to 100, depending on the size and amount of meat used.
History
Hawawshi was invented in 1971 by an Egyptian butcher named Ahmed al-Hawawsh .
From his stall in the Souk Al-Tawfik neighborhood in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, hawawshi spread throughout Cairo and then to the rest of Egypt.
Since al-Hawawsh's death, hawawshi have become especially popular in
Sharqia Governorate
Sharqia Governorate ( ar, محافظة الشرقية ', , rural: ) is the 3rd most populous of the governorates of Egypt. Located in the northern part of the country, its capital is the city of Zagazig.
Overview
Bilbeis is the former capital ...
in the
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Po ...
, where the best hawawshi are reported to be found.
See also
*
Sambusa
A samosa () or singara is a fried Indian pastry with a savory filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, and peas. It may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region. Samo ...
, the
Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
equivalent
*
Fatayer
A fatayer ( ar, فطاير, faṭāyir) is a meat pie that can alternatively be stuffed with spinach, or cheese such as Feta or Akkawi. It is part of Levantine cuisine and is eaten in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia ...
, the
Lebanese equivalent
*
List of Middle Eastern dishes
This is a list of dishes found in Middle Eastern cuisine, a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisines of the Middle East and the Maghreb region. The Middle East is home to numerous different cultural and ethnic groups. This diversity ...
*
Cornish pasty
A pasty () is a British baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, South West England, but has spread all over the British Isles. It is made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetab ...
References
{{Cuisine of Egypt
Arab cuisine
Egyptian cuisine
Middle Eastern cuisine