Course | Breakfast |
---|---|
Place of origin | Turkey |
Region or state | Menemen, İzmir Province [1] [2] |
Main ingredients | Eggs, tomato, green peppers, and spices such as ground black and red pepper, salt and oregano, onion, garlic, chili powder |
~120 kcal | |
Similar dishes | Shakshouka |
Menemen is a popular traditional Turkish dish [3] that includes eggs, tomato, green peppers, and spices such as ground black and red pepper cooked in olive oil.
Menemen may be made with onions, but the addition of onions is often debated and is more common when menemen is eaten as a main dish, rather than at breakfast. The dish is similar to Egyptian dish shakshouka also found in other Arab countries.
Menemen is commonly eaten for breakfast and served with bread. [4] Its name originates from a small town in Izmir Province. [5]
This dish is also similar to Hungarian Lecsó and Serbo-Croat Sataraš which might have descended from Menemen during the Ottoman imperial period.
The tomatoes are typically finely diced or may be grated. Grated and diced tomatoes can also be mixed together, depending on the cook's preferred texture. If onions are being used, they may be added to the pan with the green chili peppers and sautéed with heated butter or oil. Aleppo pepper may be added. [6] The addition of onions is often debated and is more common when menemen is not eaten at breakfast but as a main dish. [7] Some Turkish cooks like Saniye Anne insist that a proper menemen cannot be made without onions. [8] In 2018, Turkish food critic Vedat Milor launched a Twitter poll to resolve the discussion about onion within menemen. The poll became widely popular, with 437,657 people voting. The vote proved inconclusive, as the onion faction only had a narrow victory, with 51% of the vote. [9]
Sucuk , a dried salami-like sausage, can be added to the pan after the peppers have softened. [10] This adds some flavor to the oil; the sucuk can be removed from the pan before the tomatoes are added to avoid overcooking, but this is not necessary. The tomatoes become very soft and the mix not be too watery when the eggs are added. The eggs may be beaten together with salt, pepper and any desired fresh herbs or added directly to the pan. [11] If pastırma is being used, it is added to the pan with the eggs. [12] Kaşar cheese or white cheese may optionally be added on top of the eggs just before they finish cooking, along with a garnish of fresh herbs or scallions. [10] It is usually served in the pan in which it is cooked, a double-handled cooking pan known as sahan , together with fresh bread. [13]
Some variations may include mushrooms or minced lamb. [14] [15] Different spices may be added according to taste including cumin, paprika, mint, and thyme. [16]
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Kesme or erişte is a type of egg noodle found in various Central Asian countries. It is also found in Turkish cuisine and is called erişte and “kesme” in modern standard Turkish. The word itself is a nominalisation of the verb to cut or to slice, referring to the slicing of the dough involved in preparing the noodles. The term may refer to the noodles themselves, or the prepared dish made with them. Kesme is traditionally a homemade dish, and not often found at restaurants or cafés. In Turkey, kesme is also known as "erişte", and eaten generally in winter. It is made from flour, egg, water, salt and milk. These ingredients are worked into a dough, which is rolled out, cut, and dried in the sun or an oven after dried for a day.
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Saniye Anne Yemekleri is the YouTube channel of Saniye Karataş, which has over 570,000 subscribers. The videos for her channel are filmed by her son Süleyman Karataş. Karataş, who lives in Izmir, Turkey, turned 77 in 2018. She insists that a proper menemen is made with onions.
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