Shatta (condiment)

Shatta (Arabic: شطة, romanized: shaṭṭah) is a hot sauce popular in the in the Middle East, and especially in the Levant. It is made from fresh chili peppers, salt, garlic, and olive oil, which are mixed together and then left to ferment.^[1][2]

Shatta

A jar of red shatta
Course	Condiment
Main ingredients	Chili peppers, salt, olive oil, garlic
Variations	Red shatta, green shatta

Not to be confused with Shatta, a historical Palestinian village, Shatta Wale, a Ghanaian artist.

Name

The word shatta (Arabic: شطة, romanized: shaṭṭah) simply means "hot pepper" in Arabic,^[3][4] as such, the term "shatta" is sometimes used in Arabic as a catch all for hot pepper sauce, like sriracha for example.^[5]

Sometimes the name Shatta Shamiyya (Arabic: شطة شامية, lit. 'Levantine shatta') is used to refer to this condiment in Arabic.^[6][7]

Another name for this is Filfil Mat’hoon (Arabic: فلفل مطحون, lit. 'ground chili').^[8]

Ingredients and preparation

Traditional shatta is made by crushing red or green chili peppers and then letting them undergo lactic fermentation with salt for several days. Common additions include garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, or olive oil. The texture of the paste can range from ground and pourable to chunky depending on how its processed, the peppers can be chopped, passed through a food processor, or pounded by mortar and pestle. The fermentation process can be skipped and the paste may be immediately served after preparation.^{[2][9][8][4][10]}

After preparation is done, the sauce should be stored in sterilized jars, which contain no moisture to prevent spoilage.^[9][8]

The peppers used are usually fresh, they can be green or red, which will affect the color of the resulting condiment, the type of chili used can vary.^[9][8]

Some traditional recipes may call for sun-drying the chili instead of using it fresh, which would reduce the moisture further (but entirely) to reduce the likelihood of spoilage during fermentation.^[11][12]

Culinary uses

Shatta is used to enhance the flavor of many dishes, such as falafel, hummus, grilled meats, and roasted vegetables. It can be used as dip, dressing, or garnish.^[9][2]

Popularity

Shatta is popular across the middle east, and particularly popular in the Levant region and Egypt,^[2][13] its a staple in Gazan cuisine.^[8][4]

In many restaurants started by the Arab diaspora outside the middle east, shatta is served as condiment.^[14][15][16]

See also

• Harissa
• Zhoug
• Sriracha