Sumaghiyyeh (السماقية (Sumaghiyyeh))
Overview
Sumaghiyyeh is a thick sour stew from Gaza named after sumac, the tart red spice. Ground sumac is soaked in water, then strained and mixed with tahini, a little flour and more water to make a smooth, sour sauce. This is cooked with chopped chard, chickpeas and pieces of slowly stewed beef. Separately, garlic, dill seeds and chilli are crushed and fried in olive oil and stirred in at the end, giving a sharp, spicy flavour. In Gaza the sauce is often made with red tahini from toasted sesame. It is poured into bowls and left to cool, then eaten at room temperature, scooped up with pita bread.
History
Sumaghiyyeh is a traditional dish of Gaza City, where it is cooked in large amounts for Eid al-Fitr and shared with family and neighbours. A sumac dish of this kind is already mentioned in the eleventh century, in the Arabic tale Hikayat Abu al-Qasim by Abu al-Mutahhar al-Azdi. It takes a whole day to make, so preparing it is often a family task in the days before the holiday.
Main ingredients
Sumac, tahini, chard, beef, chickpeas, dill seed. The soup is built on sumac water and tahini and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Chickpea soups · Beef soups · Spinach and greens soups
Recipe
Method
- 11 h
Simmer the beef in salted water for 1 hour, until tender.
- 2
Strain the sumac water through a cloth and whisk it with the tahini and flour.
- 3
Cook the chard with a little of the beef broth until soft, then add the beef, chickpeas and sumac mixture.
- 420 min
Simmer, stirring, for 20 minutes until thick.
- 5
Crush the garlic, dill seeds and chilli, fry them in the oil, stir into the pot and leave to cool before serving with pita.
- ✓
Serve. About 2h 30m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
