Where is sabich from and how did it get its name?

Sabich is an Iraqi Jewish dish that came to Israel when 120,000 Iraqi Jews were airlifted from Iraq to Israel. No one is 100% sure where this eggplant sandwich's name came from, but some say it was the surname of a man from Iraq that opened a stall in Tel Aviv in 1961. Others say it comes from the Arabic word for breakfast (sabah meaning morning or dawn).

Usually stuffed into a pita, sabich or sabih always contains fried eggplant and hard-boiled eggs. Israeli chopped salad, shredded cabbage, pickles, tahini, sometimes potatoes or French fries, and a variety of sauces such as hot sauce like zhoug and almost always amba-a mango sauce are included.

Sabich. My favorite eggplant sandwich.

Name: Favorite Eggplant Sabich Sandwich
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Israeli
Ingredients: Fried, Baked or Grilled Eggplant Slices sliced into 1/2" slices; Hard-boiled Eggs; Israeli Salad - cucumbers, tomatoes, diced onion and a bit of lemon juice, olive oil and salt; Shredded Cabbage; Chopped Parsley; Zhoug; Harissa - mild to spicy chili pepper sauce (I have also used matboucha but it contains tomatoes); Tahina Sauce - made with garlic, lemon, cumin, chickpeas and ice water Mix into tahini paste to make this a drizzle consistency; Amba - mango sauce; Pickles - Israeli pickles (they come in a can) or I use baby dills; Pita, Laffa Bread, Buns; Other additions include boiled potatoes or Fries

Description

Some might consider a sabich a breakfast sandwich because of the hard boiled eggs. I can eat this incredible stuffed pita for any meal and be quite happy. Loaded with fresh herb flavor, sweet, spicy and tangy sauces, plus crunchy salad, makes this one of my favorite street foods in Israel.

Ingredients

Fried, Baked or Grilled Eggplant Slices sliced into 1/2" slices

Hard-boiled Eggs

Israeli Salad - cucumbers, tomatoes, diced onion and a bit of lemon juice, olive oil and salt

Shredded Cabbage

Chopped Parsley

Zhoug

Harissa - mild to spicy chili pepper sauce (I have also used matboucha but it contains tomatoes)

Tahina Sauce - made with garlic, lemon, cumin, chickpeas and ice water Mix into tahini paste to make this a drizzle consistency

Amba - mango sauce

Pickles - Israeli pickles (they come in a can) or I use baby dills

Pita, Laffa Bread, Buns

Other additions include boiled potatoes or Fries

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Instructions

Prepare eggplant slices as you prefer. I slice them and then salt them after placing on a paper towel. Let rest about 15 minutes while oven is preheating to 450. Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Brush each eggplant slice with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake about 15 minutes and flip over. If the slices are not sliced evenly you may end up with some that turn black in spots. Those are my favorite!

Make hard-boiled eggs. I use an egg cooker for perfect results.

Make Israeli salad unless you just want chopped veggies sprinkled on.

Assemble a sabich bar. Put out a bowl of Israeli salad. Add a plate of shredded cabbage, parsley and sliced pickles. Sauces should include amba, tahina sauce-not tahina paste, zhoug, harissa or both. Put out some potatoes in whatever form you want but these are optional.

Notes

Please see post for other suggestions.