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Fermented Zhug

Zhug Yemeni cilantro sauce in a bowl.
Photo by David Malosh

This spicy Yemeni cilantro sauce is fiery hot with chile peppers, but it is also aromatic with spices and herbaceous notes of cilantro and parsley.

In Yemen, this condiment is known by its Arabic name, sahawiq, which refers to the traditional method of preparation by pounding the herbs into a paste between two stones. Today, it is better known around the world by its Hebrew name of zhug. Between 1949 and 1950, thousands of Yemeni Jews were airlifted to Israel, where they introduced this treasured condiment to their new home. Zhug soon became a staple of Israeli cuisine, and over the past decade, zhug has become a fixture in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants.

Zhug is usually served freshly made, when it tastes bold and vivacious. We take it a step further, fermenting the herbs and spices to transform the sauce slightly but meaningfully. Fermentation adds not only complexity but also a more entrenched heat as the sauce deepens from bright green to olive.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Preserved' by Darra Goldstein, Cortney Burns, and Richard Martin. Buy the full book on Amazon.

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