Sandwich · Fried eggplant

Sabich

Photo: Gilabrand / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

The hard-boiled egg inside is traditionally cooked low and slow overnight, which is what turns the yolk a deep caramel color instead of pale yellow.

Pita is stuffed with slices of fried eggplant, a hard-boiled egg, Israeli salad, hummus or tahini, amba (pickled mango sauce), and pickles. It's sold from small counter stands, most famously clustered around Tel Aviv, usually as a lunchtime sandwich.

Why it's made this way: The dish was brought by Iraqi Jewish immigrants, who traditionally ate fried eggplant and eggs left over from the Sabbath; street vendors turned that combination into a portable sandwich that became a fixture of Israeli fast food.