Jachnun or Jahnun ( he, גַ'חְנוּן, , ) is a

Yemenite Jewish Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the ...

pastry, originating from the

Adeni Jews Adeni Jews ( he, יהדות עדן), or Adenite Jews are the historical Jewish community which resided in the port city of Aden. Adenite culture became distinct from other Yemenite Jewish culture due to British control of the city and Indian-Ir ...

, and traditionally served on ''

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

'' morning. Yemenite Jewish immigrants have popularized the dish in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Preparation

Jahnun is prepared from

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 ...

which is rolled out thinly and brushed with (traditionally) ''Samneh'', which is clarified butter spiced with 'Hilbe' (

fenugreek Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients ...

) and aged in a smoked vessel, traditionally using smoke from the wood of a specific tree, the tree (presumably ''Dodonaea viscosa'', ''sheth'' in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

), though regular clarified butter or shortening can be used. A little honey is sometimes added in addition, whereupon the dough is rolled up into rolls before cooking. It is traditionally cooked overnight on a 'Shabbat hotplate' at a very low temperature, starting the cooking process on the Friday (usually in the morning), to be taken out and eaten on Shabbat (Saturday) morning, as it is forbidden by Jewish custom to start cooking or turn electrical implements on/off during the Shabbat. The Jahnun pieces are baked/steamed in a lidded pot (trapping moisture and preventing drying and burning). This cooking process turns the dough a dark amber color, endowing it with a deep, sweet, caramelized taste. It is traditionally served with tomato salsa, a fresh grated tomato dip, hard boiled eggs, and

zhug Zhug ( he, סְחוּג, s'ḥug), sahawiq (Yemeni Arabic: ) or bisbas (Somali language, Somali: ) is a hot sauce originating in Yemeni cuisine. In other countries of the Arabian Peninsula it is also called ma'booj ( ar, معبوج}). Etymolo ...

(a type of green herbal hot condiment). The dough used for Jachnun is the same as that used for

malawach Malawach or Melawwaḥ, (; literally means "board-like bread"), is a flatbread that is traditional in Yemenite Jewish cuisine. It was brought to Israel by Yemenite Jews. Malawach resembles a thick pancake but consists of thin layers of puff past ...

History

The idea of slow-cooking food in a way that conforms with Shabbat restrictions is ancient, originating with

Cholent Cholent and other Sabbath stews ( yi, טשאָלנט, tsholnt ''or'' tshulnt) are traditional Jewish stews. It is usually simmered overnight for 10–12 hours or more, and eaten for lunch on Shabbat (the Sabbath). Shabbat stews were developed ...

, or Hamin, a slow-cooked stew that originated in ancient Israel. Jachnun and its pan-fried cousin

probably originated as variations of Sephardic Jewish puff pastry, brought to Yemen by Jews expelled from Spain, according to Gil Marks.Encyclopedia of Jewish Cooking

References

External links

Jachnun recipe
{{pastries Israeli pastries Yemeni cuisine Israeli cuisine Shabbat food Jewish cuisine Jewish baked goods Middle Eastern cuisine Mizrahi Jewish cuisine

Preparation

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links