Saltah (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...
: سلتة) is a traditional Yemeni dish. ''Saltah'' is considered to be the
national dish of
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
. In the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, ''saltah'' was used as a charitable food and was made with leftover food that was donated by the wealthy or the mosques. It is widely eaten in northern parts of the country. It is mainly served for lunch. The base is a brown
meat stew called ''
maraq'', a dollop of
fenugreek froth, and ''
sahawiq
Zhug ( he, סְחוּג, s'ḥug), sahawiq (Yemeni Arabic: ) or bisbas (Somali: ) is a hot sauce originating in Yemeni cuisine. In other countries of the Arabian Peninsula it is also called ma'booj ( ar, معبوج}).
Etymology
The word ''sa ...
'' (a mixture of
chillies
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
,
tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
es,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
, and
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
s ground into a
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
A ...
).
Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
,
potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...
es,
scrambled eggs
Scrambled eggs is a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs) stirred, whipped or beaten together while being gently heated, typically with salt, butter, oil and sometimes other ingredients.
Preparation
Only eggs are necessary to make scrambled ...
, and
vegetable
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...
s are common additions to ''saltah''. It is eaten traditionally with ''
khubz mulawah'', a Yemeni flatbread used as a utensil to scoop up the dish.
''Saltah'' is an old Yemeni dish that some say is thousands of years old. It's said that its ingredients were only ''maraq'' and ''
hulbah
Hulbah, holbah, helbeh or hilbeh ( ar, حلبة) is a condiment made from ground fenugreek seeds, and a traditional Yemeni food, now popularized among other cultures as well, especially by Yemenite Jews in Israel, who have introduced it to other ...
'' (fenugreek). It has been developing since then and is split into two dishes: ''saltah'' and ''
fahsah''.
See also
*
List of stews
This is a list of notable stews. A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been Cooking, cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (such as carrots, potato ...
References
Sources
Sanaa restaurants serving SaltahBack story and origin of saltahref>
Citations
Arab cuisine
Saltah
Saltah (Arabic: سلتة) is a traditional Yemeni dish. ''Saltah'' is considered to be the national dish of Yemen. In the Ottoman Empire, ''saltah'' was used as a charitable food and was made with leftover food that was donated by the wealthy o ...
National dishes
{{Yemen-stub