 A jar of red shatta | |
| Course | Condiment |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Chili peppers, salt, olive oil, garlic |
| Variations | Red shatta, green shatta |
Shatta (Arabic:شطة,romanized: shaṭṭah) is ahot sauce popular in theMiddle East, and especially in theLevant. It is made from fresh chili peppers, salt,garlic, andolive oil, which are mixed together and then left to ferment.[1][2]
The wordshatta (Arabic:شطة,romanized: shaṭṭah) simply means "hot pepper" inArabic;[3][4] as such, the term "shatta" is sometimes used in Arabic as a catch-all for hot pepper sauce, likesriracha.[5]
Sometimes the nameshatta Shamiyya (Arabic:شطة شامية,lit. 'Levantine shatta') is used to refer to this condiment in Arabic.[6][7]
Another name for this isfilfil mat’hoon (Arabic:فلفل مطحون,lit. 'ground chili').[8]
Traditional shatta is made by crushing red or green chili peppers and then letting them undergolactic fermentation with salt for several days. Common additions include garlic,vinegar,lemon juice, or olive oil. The texture of the paste can range from ground and pourable to chunky depending on how its processed, the peppers can be chopped, passed through afood processor, or pounded by mortar and pestle. The fermentation process can be skipped and the paste may be immediately served after preparation.[2][9][8][4][10]
After preparation is done, the sauce should be stored in sterilized jars, which contain no moisture to prevent spoilage.[9][8]
The peppers used are usually fresh, they can be green or red, which will affect the color of the resulting condiment, the type of chili used can vary.[9][8]
Some traditional recipes may call forsun-drying the chili instead of using it fresh, which would reduce the moisture further (but entirely) to reduce the likelihood of spoilage during fermentation.[11][12]
Shatta is used to enhance the flavor of many dishes, such asfalafel,hummus, grilled meats, and roasted vegetables. It can be used asdip,dressing, orgarnish.[9][2]
Shatta is popular across the middle east, and particularly popular in theLevant region andEgypt,[2][13] its a staple inGazan cuisine.[8][4]
In many restaurants started by theArab diaspora outside the middle east, shatta is served as condiment.[14][15][16]
Daggit toma wa lamoon (Arabic:دقة ثوم و ليمون,lit. 'pounded garlic and lemons') is a very similar hot-and-sour condiment made from garlic, salt, green chilis and lemon juice. It is prepared in a mortar and pestle, then served fresh instead of fermented.[8] It is popular in Gazan cuisine,[8] and is a traditional topping forqudsiyeh (Jerusalem-style hummus) andful medames.[17][18]
مصنع «سريراتشا» لإنتاج الشطة الحارة["Sriracha" Factory for producing hot pepper]The Arabic wordshatta is used for hot pepper in the Arabic text; the article clarifies it means hot pepper using parentheses.
