[Next up in our tour of potential writers for the site is Roni from Chicago. Welcome, Roni!]
This crazy-hot pepper sauce and its phonetic-resistant name have their origins in the kitchens of Yemenite Jews. During the 1950s when everything was rationed in Israel, European Jews picked up on Middle Eastern culinary strategies to spice up their bland chow. Call it the era of falafelization. My late father developed a legendary appetite for this stuff as a student in Jerusalem. Decades later in the U.S. he was known to spread it on a bagel with cream cheese.
Schug has no hard, fast rules, and as such every chef puts their unique spicy spin on it. While the recipe is highly subjective, it should be more paste than liquid; if you don’t want your pita to spring a leak then it should stick to hummus. You can bring together kitchen and garden experiments for a range of color and flavor results. Grow your own habaneros, scotch bonnets, jalapenos, cayenne and chili peppers. To cut the heat you can seed the peppers or toss in a few benign banana peppers. It is a great addition to any Middle Eastern dish, and packed into a pretty jar it makes a thoughtful (albeit mildly sadistic) hostess gift.
Schug
makes about 2 cups
1 pound of peppers (you can mix it up, but go red or go green for bright, consistent color)
1 head fresh garlic, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
Black pepper and sea salt to taste
Olive oil to cover
optional: fresh cilantro leaves, cardamom and lemon juice.
Throw your peppers and garlic into a food processor and purée. Add spices and pulse a few times to mix. Store the mixture in a glass jar and cover with olive oil. Refrigerate.
Make sure to wash your hands before touching your eyeballs or anything else.
for the record, i am intrigued by the sauce and a fan of this post. the balance between information and personal asides was achieved nicely, and the writing was clean and tight without being overly sterile.
this is straightforward, yet warm and interesting. personal and current, yet full of historical meaning.
i went to a brunch recently where everyone was spreading this on their bagels like no tomorrow. seems that it was all we talked about for a good 15 minutes. everyone then left wanting the recipe and feeling like, yes, this is something "even i can make"
(i say that often). several of us at the brunch have shaky kitchen confidence, but this was not intimidating and has so many possibilities for use. thanks for sharing, roni.
Schug--is that pronounced Shug or Shoog? Whatever the pronunciation, I'll be sure to try it as it sounds delicious. I like the writer's style. Informative, pleasant to read with a touch of humor. I also like how the writer blends in the personal aspect of this particular product.
(unrelated side note...) sorry, my link in the above comment was not supposed to take you to maxwell street!
also wondering how much olive oil you cover the schug with before refrigerating. i tend to get olive oil happy, is this a bad thing?
and i'm with angela. please tell us how to pronounce this intriguing little word.
This sounds addictive!
Nice post too.
The CH is pronounced as in Chanukah.
So its SCHOOG.
Lisa, you nailed the pronunciation.
Heather, a thin coat that covers the exposed top surface should do the job, about 1/8-1/4 of an inch. Of course, if you pack your entire batch into a massive jar then go a little heavier, and if you use little containers then go lighter (I like baby food jars or the IKEA numbers pictured above). The schug will gradually absorb the oil, so unless you have a very heavy hand it won't change the texture radically.
Well, having sampled this concoction on a visit to New Orleans, I am delighted to discover the name, the origins, and this cute little post with a basic recipe (so helpful) and clear guidelines on desired consistency and how to experiment. And yes: delectable with bagel + cream cheese. Looking forward to my first home-made batch...
i'm intrigued by the suggestion to add cardamom, one of my favorite spices. i'd never heard of this before, but it sounds delicious.
what do you mean rations in the 50s? there was no food in Israel?