⬫Tatte 2.0 Shakshuka⬫
The success of an Israeli dish in an American city
Kylla Przekop May 1, 2022
While appearing French in design, Tatte Bakery is known for their traditional Israeli dishes and unique combination of spices. Nestled in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, the bakery is home to the extremely popular dish shakshuka. In fact, it is their most coveted savory item!
Traditional shakshuka dish. Photo taken by loveandlemons.com.
In The Mediterranean Dish, shakshuka is said to have originated in Tuisia as a meal for workers who were easily able to scoop up its contents with bread. Now popular in places like Israel, this dish has many variations, but always incorporates soft eggs in a chunky tomato and bell pepper sauce. In her cookbook Sababa, Adeena Sussman notes that shakshuka itself means “all mixed up,” and that is what makes Tatte’s dish so iconic. Blending together the North African spices of cumin and paprika with the Israeli method of combining eggs in a sauce, Tatte presents a unique dish in an effortless and minimalistic style.
While easy to prepare and light in ingredients, the challenge, however, is marketing to an American consumer. Tatte does an amazing job of alluring customers through their French aesthetics. Comfortable, Parisian, and minimalistic is the atmosphere that allows American consumers to feel at ease when ordering the meal.
When I walked into the bakery, I could not help but notice the soft browns, grays, and ivories that draped over much of their decorations. The floors were tiled with small white and black squares and much of their pastry holders appeared a white or gray marble. Nothing, however, could compare to their enormous oak wooden pastry case that carried croissants, breads, and desserts. It reminded me much of an elegant and classic French restaurant. However, when looking upon their menu, most, if not all, of their main courses incorporated unique spices and Israeli ingredients! It was surprising to me that Tatte chose not to reflect the rich reds, browns, and blues of Israel into their architecture or accompany their main courses with Israeli pastries. However, not only did these atmospherics make me feel more at ease, but I was able to feel more relaxed and excited to try shakshuka.
I was personally drawn to the meal due to the unique blend of cultures needed create such a dish. When you come to think of it, not only does shakshuka provide hearty substance, but it provides a rich history of cultural attitudes. Replicating this meal allowed me to tap into my French, Israeli, and American curiosities, which made cooking shakshuka that much more enticing.
Shakshuka. Photo taken by Maria Lichty
While Tatte lists this easy-to-make meal in their breakfast section, it can be enjoyed as a Sunday brunch or Monday dinner!
Want to bring home Tatte’s shakshuka recipe? Love & Lemons bakes an egg in a rich, tomato and bell pepper sauce that tastes like an exact match to the bakery’s traditional shakshuka. Many of the ingredients used in Tatte's version are similarly used here. Have it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Shakshuka Serving Suggestions:
Luckily, this dish can be made with simple ingredients found in most pantries. I prefer to garnish the dish with fresh parsley and feta cheese just as Tatte does. While this recipe calls for challah, one can easily replace it with a fresh French baguette. Likewise, if avocado isn’t your thing, yet you desire a little extra protein, feel free to toss in bacon or lamb meatballs! Equally as delicious, these proteins will bring out a cultural exploration of cuisines and tastes.
Homemade baguettes. Photo taken by
Le Chef's Wife.
Tatte 2.0 Shakshuka
Rate this recipe:
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Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min
Serves 4
This recipe brings the flavors of Tatte home with an effortless combination of fresh eggs in a harissa spiced tomato sauce. Pair it with the taste of cumin, parsley, and feta for a burst of Boston’s favorite bakery.
Ingredients:
▹ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
▹ 1 cup chopped yellow onion
▹ 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
▹ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
▹ Freshly ground black pepper
▹ 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
▹ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
▹ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
▹ Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
▹ 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
▹ 1 cup fresh spinach
▹ 3 to 5 eggs
▹ ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
▹ ¼ cup fresh parsley
▹ 1 avocado, diced
▹ Toasted challah, for serving
Instructions:
Heat the oil over medium heat in a 12-inch lidded stainless steel or enamel-coated cast-iron skillet. Add the onion, red pepper, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and cayenne, if using. Stir and let cook for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes.. Simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Make 3 to 5 wells in the sauce and crack in the eggs. Cover and cook until the eggs are set, 5 to 8 minutes. The timing will depend on how runny you like your egg yolks.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with the feta, parsley, avocado, and microgreens, if using. Serve with toasted challah for scooping.
Notes:
*If challah isn’t accessible, use a warm baguette!
Did you like the recipe? Go show Love & Lemons some love by rating their dish!
Reflection:
For the course of this project, I aimed to entice an American audience into cooking shakshuka by emulating a similar methodology to that of Tatte both directly and indirectly. As observed in Tatte, the bakery uses French atmospherics to ease a customer into buying a unique Israeli meal. Through these atmospherics, feelings of aversion and risk are lowered and the chance of purchasing an Israeli cuisine increase. In the beginning of my blog, I directly lay out the methodology that Tatte uses in order to accomplish that goal. This allows the reader to understand why shakshuka is successful as well as explain the financial and social success of the bakery. While the beginning is the most direct aspect of the blog, the later paragraphs begin to indirectly communicate my research argument.
Explaining and introducing shakshuka allows the reader to be exposed to new terminology and establish background knowledge into the ingredients, ultimately forming an acute sense of comfort. Once the reader is familiar with the dish, I romanticize the setting in which the dish is sold. I describe Tatte and the Parisian atmospherics in order to ease the reader into a comfortable and familiar headspace. Once the reader understands that shakshuka is sold from a place like Tatte, they may be more willing to make the dish themselves. I chose a recipe that closely resembled that of Tatte's and incorporated most, if not all, of the same ingredients. That way, there was no new ingredients to increase feelings of risk from the reader. I appealed to American food attitudes by offering the option of avocados, a staple of health-oriented mindsets, as well as the choice of bacon or lamb meatballs in order to maintain ease with more protein options. Overall, I am attempting to dress the recipe of shakshuka with familiarity, which was the main argument communicated in my research project.