Pilpelchuma
Chili-garlic paste from Libyan Jewish and Israeli cuisine.
Pilpelchuma (Hebrew: פלפלצ'ומה), sometimes written as pilpelshuma and meaning "pepper garlic," is a chili-garlic paste with a hot-sauce-like quality. It comes from the Libyan Jewish community and is a common item in Israeli cuisine. The paste has a texture much like tomato paste. In Israel, it is sold in packaged form, often in a tube or jar, and many people also prepare it at home. Its main ingredients are steamed dried sweet and hot peppers, along with garlic. Olive oil, ground cumin, caraway seeds, lemon juice, and kosher salt are also used.
- origin
- Libyan Jewish cuisine
- main ingredients
- Dried sweet and hot peppers, garlic, olive oil, ground cumin, caraway seeds, lemon juice, kosher salt
- consistency
- Similar to tomato paste
- common forms
- Tube or jar (packaged); also homemade
- region of popularity
- Israel, especially Jerusalem
- field
- Condiment and ingredient in cuisine
Lore & Background
Pilpelchuma traditionally has been the main condiment in Libyan Jewish cuisine. It made its way into Israeli cuisine in the mid-20th century with the community's forced migration to Israel. The two main ingredients are dried sweet and hot peppers that have been steamed, and garlic, with additional ingredients including olive oil, ground cumin, caraway seeds, lemon juice, and kosher salt.
Reader's Guide
Pilpelchuma is used both as a condiment and as an ingredient in dishes such as salads, meat, fish, legumes, and rice dishes. In Israel today it is a popular condiment used in falafel sandwiches, shawarma, chicken schnitzel, sabich, and to top hummus. It is especially popular in Jerusalem, where it is used in the local variety of shakshuka, a popularity attributed to the area's large Libyan Jewish community. In recent years pilpelchuma has become popular in the West and is used as a condiment in dishes such as potato salad. Its significance lies in its role as a key element of Libyan Jewish culinary heritage and its widespread adoption within Israeli cuisine, reflecting the migration and integration of that community.
Did You Know?
- Pilpelchuma has a consistency similar to tomato paste.
- It is especially popular in Jerusalem due to the area's large Libyan Jewish community.
- The two main ingredients are dried sweet and hot peppers that have been steamed, and garlic.
- In recent years it has become popular in the West, used as a condiment in potato salad.
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