ZHUG (YEMENI GREEN CHILE AND CILANTRO RELISH)
SOURCE: PAULA WOLFERT. MEDITERRANEAN GRAINS AND GREENS: A BOOK OF SAVORY, SUN-DRENCHED RECIPES.
Evangelizing the gospel of Zhug into the mainstream gastronomic consciousness mirrors the Judeo-Christian route by beginning in the Middle East, flourishing in Zion, and spreading outwards to the Gentile practitioners of the Mediterranean diet. This Hebrew relish of cilantro and sharp chili peppers, authentically pounded by women on a smooth flat black mazhag they stored beside their kitchen stoves, traces its esoteric roots back to Ottoman-occupied Yemen where its daily consumption prevented ailments and fortified the cardiovascular system. Through Operation Magic Carpet, which airlifted a majority of Teimani escapees facing anti-Semitic persecution to seek refuge in Israel, Zhug found a nexus for incubation and built a stronghold of acceptance among other communities of the Jewish diaspora. Only a preachy upswing of the Mediterranean diet in the 1990s delocalized and exposed the national secret to widespread recognition, making their spoonful of presence on pitas, falafels, and shawarmas all the more inevitable.
Ingredients
10 long and mildly hot green chiles
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon/2 grams crushed green cardamom seeds
2 cups/110 grams cilantro
1 teaspoon/2 grams freshly ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Specific Equipment
Food processor
Nonreactive bowl
Jar equipped with a tight-covered lid
Makes 1 1/2 cups/180 mL
Instructions
1. Cut and discard the stems off the green chiles. Chop the chiles coarsely along with their seeds and transfer them into the food processor.
2. Add the garlic, cardamom seeds, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper into the food processor. Grind everything for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture has turned into a fine and smooth paste. Transfer to a jar equipped with a tight-covered lid. Cover and refrigerate until further use.
