Sabich or sabih ( he, סביח ) is a sandwich of pita or

laffa Laffa, also known as lafa or Iraqi pita, is a large, thin flatbread in Israeli cuisine with an Iraqi origin. Laffa is a simple bread that is traditionally dairy-free and vegan and cooked in a '' tannur'' (tandoor) or ''taboon'' oven. It is mos ...

bread stuffed with fried eggplants, hard boiled eggs, chopped salad, parsley,

amba Amba or AMBA may refer to: Title * Amba Hor, alternative name for Abhor and Mehraela, Christian martyrs * Amba Sada, also known as Psote, Christian bishop and martyr in Upper Egypt Given name * Amba, the traditional first name given to the first ...

and tahini sauce. It is an

Iraqi Jewish The history of the Jews in Iraq ( he, יְהוּדִים בָּבְלִים, ', ; ar, اليهود العراقيون, ) is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c. 586 BC. Iraqi Jews constitute one of the world's oldest and mos ...

dish that has become a staple of

Israeli cuisine Israeli cuisine ( he, המטבח הישראלי ) comprises both local dishes and dishes brought to Israel by Jews from the Diaspora. Since before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and particularly since the late 1970s, an Israel ...

, as a result of Iraqi Jewish immigration to Israel. Its ingredients are based on a traditional quick breakfast of

Iraqi Jews The history of the Jews in Iraq ( he, יְהוּדִים בָּבְלִים, ', ; ar, اليهود العراقيون, ) is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c. 586 BC. Iraqi Jews constitute one of the world's oldest and mo ...

and is traditionally made with laffa, which is nicknamed Iraqi pita. Sabich is sold in many businesses throughout

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 ...

Etymology

There are several theories on the origin of the name sabich. Many credit the name to the first name of Sabich Tsvi Halabi, a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

man born in Iraq who operated a small restaurant in

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and man ...

, and who is credited for originally serving the sandwich."אין כמו, אין כמו עמבה: מדריך הסביח - מדן ועד אילת", ynet, 12.11.06
/ref> Another theory is that sabich is an acronym of the Hebrew words "Salat, Beitsa, Yoter Ḥatsil" , meaning "salad, egg, more eggplant". This is probably a humorous interpretation and hence a

backronym A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...

History

The idea of the sabich sandwich was most likely brought to Israel by

, who immigrated in 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 in

. The restaurant was operated by "Sabich" Tzvi Halbi and Yaakov Sasson, the restaurant was very successful, and still operates only 500 meters from where it was originally to this day. Walla News 2007
/ref> 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 fried eggplant slices, hard-cooked eggs, a thin tahini sauce (tahini,

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

juice, and garlic), Israeli Salad, chopped parsley, and

. Some versions use boiled potatoes. Traditionally it is made with

haminados Haminados, also known as chaminados, or braised eggs, is a traditional Sephardi Jewish dish, popular in Israel, and commonly served as an ingredient or accompaniment to a number of dishes. Haminados are an important element of Israeli cuisine, a ...

eggs, slow-cooked in

hamin 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 develope ...

until they turn brown. According to the diner's preference it can be served topped with green or red

zhug 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 ' ...

as a condiment and sprinkled with minced

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 onio ...

Gallery

File:Sabich1.jpg File:ClyHell6943.JPG File:Clyhell6948.JPG

References

{{Street food Israeli cuisine Mizrahi Jewish cuisine Eggplant dishes Street food Egg sandwiches Vegetarian sandwiches Shabbat food

Etymology

History

Ingredients

Gallery

See also

References