Arabic & Levantine Pantry Guide
Shatta: Middle Eastern Hot Chili Sauce, Crushed Chili and Pickled Peppers
In Levantine and Egyptian kitchens, shatta refers both to fiery red chili sauce and crushed chili paste as well as dried hot chili powder and flakes. Bold, tangy and intensely spicy, shatta is the go-to table condiment for falafel wraps, Egyptian koshari, ful medames, hummus and shawarma.
Liquid Hot Sauce, Crushed Paste and Dried Chili
Across the Arab world, the word shatta covers three pantry essentials: smooth, vinegar-brightened red hot sauce in bottles for dashing over street food; rustic Levantine shatta paste made from coarsely ground fresh red chilies cured with salt and topped with olive oil; and dried hot chili in both finely ground powder and coarse flakes for cooking.
From Egyptian Koshari Chili Oil to Falafel Sandwiches
In Cairo, no bowl of koshari is complete without shatta zit (chili oil), made by sizzling dried crushed shatta in hot oil for a few seconds before ladling in spiced tomato sauce. Across Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan, a swipe of red shatta is spread inside warm flatbread alongside tahini sauce, pickles and crispy falafel, or splashed over morning bowls of ful medames, chickpea fatteh and lentil soup.
Pure Chili Heat and Pickled Peppers
Unlike Tunisian harissa – which is heavily seasoned with caraway, coriander and cumin – shatta lets the clean, bright heat of the chili pepper shine on its own. Alongside sauces and powders, whole pickled hot peppers in brine are set out on the table next to rice dishes such as maqluba, mujaddara and grilled meats.
