These Turkish Eggs Shine in Summer

Pureed tomatoes? Yuck.

It seems many cultures have egg and tomato dishes. In India, khagina or bhurji is the classic: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, onions and chili peppers. I don’t understand the physics/chemistry of the combination of eggs and tomatoes, but it results in a different texture than any other form of scrambled eggs. The eggs turn into little balls about the size of Israeli couscous and seem to absorb flavors better than eggs cooked any other way. Here in the US I’ve found that the dish can be made really easily by simply adding store-bought tomato salsa (generally the cheapest, most anodyne variety) to whisked eggs. The eggs have to be cooked on high heat in a non-stick saucepan and stirred constantly with a spatula to prevent burning. I also add cilantro and finely sliced chilies (preferably the little Thai/Indian ones) and serve them with Indian flatbread (again, store-bought; parathas are the best). Never more than 20 minutes to a really satisfying meal.

We had Shakshuka for lunch today and it was delicious! So I was pleased to read this article unexpectedly just after. I've never made an online comment before, but was so surprised that the NY Times allowed a headline of "very delicious!" Use of this stylistic configuration of words by the grand arbiter surprises me! It's a small, but insistent, pet peeve, as delicious already seems to embed "very"as in "very tasty." Sort of like saying "very perfect!"

So it is neither North African or Turkish, it is Greek.

Minus the rosemary, this dish is eaten in Italy and Croatia, and in my and my mother's kitchen. Never knew its origin was Turkey. In Turkey you can enjoy it made with the best eggs on the planet.

Without onions, I consider it as light menemen so that onions are as indispensable as tomatoes :-)

I make this dish all the time but had no idea it had a name. I just liked the combination of flavours.

I just cooked this dish this morning! It was delicious! I used a small 8 inch cast iron skillet which was perfect for this recipe. I skipped the step where half of the tomatoes are puréed as I didn’t want to have wash my blender or food processor. I used high quality eggs and ingredients from my CSA and excellent Aleppo pepper from a grower on Long Island. Adding this outstanding dish to my egg arsenal!

My mother sometimes added feta to the mix. That version was favored by us, kids. This was a go-to dish in a pinch, perfect for a working mom who also cooked all our meals.

Sounds like a western omelette. What’s the difference?

I don't quite comprehend why "a heavy copper...frying pan is essential" for a dish that is heavy in tomatoes, which are acidic. Generally, that is a metal to avoid. Nonetheless, I do love egg-based recipes such as this.

It is incredible that a food writer who was familiar with Shakshuka hadn’t heard of Menemen before. It is even a staple in Turkish restaurants in NY as a breakfast/brunch item.

Great story - which immediately brought to mind the Venezuelan Perico. Nothing gets you going in the morning like a great dish of eggs with tomatoes, peppers and onions. Adding a home made arepa on the side will elevate this to cult status. May all the long suffering people of Venezuela soon enjoy this delicacy in their homes.

Thank you, Ms. Nathan, for one more ethnic dish of scrambled eggs. My favorite are without tomatoes, but with green onions and medium-coarsely chopped mushrooms, preferably of more than one kind.