Sabich traces back to Iraqi Jewish families. On Saturday mornings after Shabbat, when cooking is not allowed, they ate fried eggplant with eggs and bread, because the eggplant could be fried the day before and the eggs slow-cooked overnight. It was a practical breakfast built around what could sit and still taste good.
When Iraqi Jews immigrated to Israel in the 1950s, the dish moved from home kitchens onto the street. Vendors started stuffing the fried eggplant and egg into pita with hummus, diced tomato and cucumber, amba, and tahini, and it grew into one of the most recognizable street foods in Israel, standing right alongside falafel and shawarma.
It is still new to a lot of Charleston diners, which is exactly why we put it on the menu. Mediterranean food covers a lot of ground, and sabich is one of the dishes that rarely makes it this far west. Curious how it stacks up against the region's other street food staples? Read our breakdown of shawarma vs. gyro vs. doner.
