Citizens! In a moment of pellucid clarity, a Divine thought has manifested itself within Mine capacious cranium – as My last recipe was for a unique Yemenite dish for Passover (Pesach – pronounced as Pay – sahch in Hebrew), I wish to share another dish from a vanishing group of Mizrahi (Arabic/North African) Jews. I speak of the ancient community of Jews on the Tunisian island of Djerba and a dish closely associated with them – and it’s kosher for Passover to boot! It is the classic Tunisian breakfast of “ojja w merguez” – poached eggs and spicy lamb sausage in a lively tomato sauce with vegetables!
The History of the Jews in Djerba stems back to at least the Middle Ages, although many speculate that it extends back to the Classical Era. The community is one of the last remaining Jewish communities in the Arab world. The community is typically divided between two villages on the Tunisian island of Djerba, off of its southern coast. The community remained small throughout history, maxing out at around 4,500 members at its peak, and hovered around 700 in the 21st century.
It is one of the best-known North African Jewish communities due to its longlasting survival, with many making an annual pilgrimage to the El Ghriba Synagogue on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer. Beginning in the mid-20th century, the community’s population began declining due to the establishment of the State of Israel. The community’s synagogue was the victim of the 2002 Ghriba synagogue bombing and the 2023 Djerba shooting.
Oral tradition of the Jews of Djerba, as well as the non-Jewish population of the island attest to the antiquity of the Jews in the community, with several founding legends that date the arrival of the Jews to the island in the B.C., although there is a lack of historical evidence to verify their claims. Yet, some traditions among the community give credence to a pre-Medieval Jewish presence on the island, such as their liturgical customs of the Kiddush on Passover, or the reading of certain Prophets on specific days of Shabbat.
Those customs, originating during the times of the Maccabees, predate the standardization of Jewish liturgy by the Talmud. Many of the said traditions are common to other Jewish communities in Yemen and Tafilalet, which are known for their confirmed antiquity.
The most common local origin story for the Jewish community in Djerba is that Cohanim settled in Djerba after the destruction of the First Temple by Emperor Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 B.C. Further claims were made that a door from the destroyed Temple, as well as various stones from the building, were incorporated into the local Temple. The story has resulted in many Jews claiming that the Synagogue, as the sole intact synagogue with pieces of the First Temple, as a unifier of world Jewry, hence its pilgrimage tradition.
Dighet, the village in which the synagogue is location, is believed, through this story, to be a corruption of the Hebrew “דלת” (delet), meaning “door”. The village was also, until the 20th century, populated exclusively by Cohanim. The first written record of the story dates back to 1849, in the book HaShomer Emet, published by Rabbi Abraham Hayyim Adadi of Tripoli.
There are also less popular legends that trace the Jewish community of Djerba to a period prior to the destruction of the First Temple, including one that states that Joab, a commander of King David’s army, founded a community on the Island following maritime battles with the Philistines. Another story tells that the island was settled following the expedition of the tribe of Zebulun. Another states that local Jews are descendants of survivors who fled Jerusalem following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D.
The first concrete historical evidence of a Jewish community in Djerba dates to the 11th Century. A merchant letter from the Cairo Geniza dated to 1030 refers to a Jewish man named Abū al-Faraj al-Jerbī (al-Jerbī meaning, The Djerbian) living in Kairouan trading with eastern lands. Other letters from the same timeframe showcase the role of Djerbian Jews in Mediterranean trade routes during the time of the Byzantine Empire.
A letter in 1060 is addressed to a Jew named Khalaf ibn Farah al-Zjerbi, living in Egypt and set to depart to Sicily. Another letter is one written by a merchant in Tunisia to a man in Fustat sending him 70 gold dinars entrusted to a Djerbian merchant in exchange for linen. The name of a Jew from the island appears in a list dated to 1107 in a list of persons in need benefitting from alms from Cairo.
Many documents dated from the 12th Century document the raid of the island during the Norman conquest of southern Italy, during which many Jews were captured. A letter dated to 1136 documents the arrival of a ship in Alexandria carrying captives whose freedom was bought by the local community. One of them, “Isaac, son of Rabbi Sedaqa, captive among the captives of Djerba” presented himself freed from captivity in the first known document written by a Djerbian Jew, giving testimony about his time in bondage, writing from Tripoli to the Egyptians who bought his freedom.
Jews can be found referenced in 18th century tax registeris of the beylical government, which forced Jews to pay jizya, a traditional Islamic task that dhimmis (non-Muslims living in majority-Muslim lands) had to pay under Islamic law. There is evidence that the Jews obliged to the laws with little complaint, and wore different clothes by law to distringuish themselves from Muslims. They were also forbidden from riding on horseback.
One source recounts how Rabbi Shaul HaCohen broke down in tears after learning about the emancipation of Tunisian slaves in 1846, telling his followers that he had a premonition in a dream that the emancipation of the Jews would follow the freeing of the black slaves. A few years later, in 1857, the Fundamental Covenant of Mohammed Bey abolished discriminatory measures against Jews. A religious revival of Judaism emerged in Djerba in the 18th century, as well as in Tripoli and Tunis.
This intellectual revival, in tradition is attributed to three Moroccan rabbis who passed through on travel to Jerusalem. Seeing the deteriorated state of the North African Jewish communities, they provided local education. One was said to be Aharon Perez – although the story is not accurate (as he was not from that time period), it is established that Perez did have roots in Djerba. Perez (died 1766) is known for having established many religious rules still active today in the Djerban minhag (customs).
He forbade the long-established consumption of locusts, which until then had been considered kosher in the town, and instituted the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
An excellent summary of the Jewish historical presence in Djerba (particularly in the modern era up to 4 years ago) is found in this YouTube video:
Unfortunately, what the previous video does NOT cover (because it hadn’t yer occurred in 2020) is the heinous and cowardly attack on the Jews of Djerba in May of 2023 in which six Tunisian Jews were shot dead by a murderous psychopath – details are in this video:
Tunisian cuisine developed from Berbers, ancient Carthage, Rome, the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb, and the Ottoman Empire. The cuisine has been strongly influenced by French and Italian (especially Sicilian) cooking. Unlike other North African cuisines, Tunisian food is quite spicy. A popular condiment and ingredient which is used extensively in Tunisian cooking, harissa, is a mix of ground chili peppers, garlic, and caraway or spices commonly sold together as a paste. It is usually the most important ingredient in different sauces and gravies.
Westernized harissa mostly contains red chilies to replace black cumin, which is different from standard cumin. Other common spices include cumin or cumin seeds, garlic, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and paprika. A recipe for the sauce includes red chili peppers and garlic, flavored with coriander, cumin, olive oil and often tomatoes. Like harissa or chili peppers, tomato paste is also an ingredient integral to the cuisine of Tunisia. Tuna, eggs, olives and various varieties of pasta, cereals, herbs and spices are also ingredients which are prominently used in Tunisian cooking.
Merguez is ABSOLUTELY a backbone of this dish, and few sausages are more toothsome or savory than this lamb-based charcuterie experience! Merguez is a red, spicy lamb- or beef-based fresh sausage in Maghrebi cuisine. In France, merguez became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, as Algerian immigrants and the pieds-noirs of Algeria settled in the country and opened small shops and restaurants that served traditional dishes like merguez.
Merguez is a sausage made with uncooked lamb, beef, or a mixture stuffed into a lamb-intestine casing. It is heavily spiced with cumin and chili pepper or harissa, which give it its characteristic piquancy and red color, as well as other spices such as sumac, fennel and garlic. Merguez is usually eaten grilled. While not in traditional Maghrebi couscous, it is often used in couscous royal in France. It is also eaten in sandwiches and with french fries and dijon mustard.
There are several spellings in Arabic (مِركس mirkas, pl. مراكس marākis; مِركاس mirkās, مَركس markas and مِرقاز mirqāz). The hesitation between k and q probably reflects the pronunciation /ɡ/, for which there is no standard Arabic spelling; further confusing matters is that in some maghrebi dialects, Arabic qāf is sometimes pronounced as /ɡ/, as an allophone of /q/. It is first attested in the 12th century, as mirkās or merkās.
As eruditely noted on verygourmand.com:
As it happens, the best recipe for Merguez I’ve ever found is – unsurprisingly – Tunisian, and comes from a pair of entrepreneur first-generation Tunisian-American brothers who make – no joke – the best commercial harissa in the United States! Only one harissa is superior – My own, whether the classic red, the rare green version or the almost extinct and supremely complex 40 ingredient rose petal harissa. So – just do yourself a favor and buy the Zwïta traditional harissa from the mighty Arem brothers from here! You’re going to need a lot of it, between the merguez and the ojja itself.
The Tunisian Ojja aka “the Ojja of Merguez”, is one of the traditional dishes in Tunisia and a beloved breakfast dish. It’s a spicy start to any morning, with eggs as main ingredient, necessarily so as the word “ojja (عجة)” means omelet in Arabic. The preparation of Ojja is very easy, since eggs are added to a hot sauce of tomatoes redolent with Merguez – and sometimes seafood or even chicken as the primary meat. Eggs in a spicy tomato sauce…sounds a LOT like shakshouka, doesn’t it Citizens?! They are indeed VERY close, but there are differences as described on ourtunisiantable.com:
What do you call eggs poached in a deliciously spicy tomato sauce? Many people would say ‘shakshuka’ but, the correct answer is actually ‘ojja’. Ojja is one of those staple dishes of Tunisia and many other surrounding counties. Over the years, however, people started using the name shakshuka to refer to both dishes. Shakshuka is similar in its base ingredients but usually has potatoes and doesn’t always have eggs, and is a recipe we look forward to sharing with you in the future.
Ojja is the go to when in need of a quick yet flavorful food fix. It is often made with a spicy lamb sausage known as merguez, making for an amazing breakfast hearty enough to be eaten at any meal, but it can just as easily be made vegetarian. Tuna and sardines are also common additions and their punch of salt balances out the richness of the creamy egg. Need a way to spice up your boring morning eggs?
As to ojja as prepared á la Hirshon – I try to hew closely indeed to the traditional Djerban version here, though with My own salutatory modifications to elevate a humble breakfast intro something truly worthy to pass My lips – and yours! To start, rather than using mundane olive oil throughout, I prefer to use Argan oil native to the Maghreb region as I prefer its nutty flavor in this recipe. Be sure NOT to buy argan oil for beauty, that is not safe for human consumption. This one is – I recognize it’s very expensive, so feel free to use the classic Tunisian olive oil instead. Buy that from here.
If you choose to buy merguez sausage instead of making it yourself, try and get a good French or Tunisian brand – or one made in an artisinal fashion. If you live in or near an Arabic neighborhood, you’ll be in luck and able to buy them inexpensively – otherwise, this is a good brand that is sold as a 4 pack of 16 sausages total from Amazon. To make them yourself, you will need lamb or sheep sausage casings (NOT PIG!) which Amazon fortunately carries here. For eggs, get the best chicken eggs you can find or go with my preferred substitute of duck eggs, which are richer and better, IMHO.
تابل or tabil (pronounced tebel) is a word in Tunisian Arabic meaning “seasoning” (similar to “adobo” in Spanish) but now refers to a Tunisian spice mix, although earlier it only meant “ground coriander seed”, which is still the primary seasoning in the spice blend. My version of Tabil is resolutely authentic, including dried rose petals (buy a good quality version from here) and a strong hint of ground bay leaves (get it from here). Ojja is traditionally made with chopped green bell peppers, which I loathe for their bitterness. Try a fresh green Anaheim pepper instead, it’s much better in ojja!
While this seems to be a very complex recipe, it really isn’t – there are a lot of ingredients, but if you buy premade Merguez and harissa, this all comes together in a matter of minutes! I’m just a sucker for authenticity and exactitude without compromise so I wanted to record how to make it with everything prepared from scratch and with the best possible ingredients – for the benefit of future generations. Also remember – OJJA IS NOT SHAKSHUKA, so be sure and correct any ignorance or malfeasance you might come across, forthwith – RIGHT MAKES MIGHT!
Citizens, the Tunisian Jewish community is slowly fading away in its native land, though it has sprung up anew in the nurturing soil of Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) and the United States. The Jews of Djerba are the last major North African population of Jews and I wish them all success in preserving their unique way of life in their native land! May they celebrate Passover in peace, and with the reminder that infants and elderly civilians still rot in the hands of Hamas murderers in what is supposed to be a happy occasion of Passover. We mourn and we remember them ALL this holiday week!
Battle on – the Generalissimo
PrintThe Hirshon Tunisian Ojja – Poached Eggs In Spicy Sauce With Merguez Sausage – عجة المرقاز
Ingredients
- For the ojja:
- 3 eggs (TFD prefers duck eggs)
- 3 Tbsp. culinary-grade Argan oil (TFD change, use olive oil for original)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 Anaheim green pepper, cut into small cubes (green bell pepper is the original, but TFD hates them)
- 3/4 lb. heirloom tomatoes, diced
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 tsp. Tunisian harissa or to taste – TFD endorses only His own recipe or from https://zwitafoods.com/
- 3 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 Tbsp. Tunisian extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup hot water
- ***
- Several Tunisian Merguez Sausages, store-bought or preferably homemade as follows from a recipe at https://zwitafoods.com/:
- 1 lb. Ground 70/30 Beef
- 1 lb. Ground fatty Lamb
- 3 cleaned Lamb or sheep intestines (for authenticity) or use pre-cleaned natural sheep sausage casing (recommended)
- 20 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 4 Tbsp. Harissa paste
- 3 Tbsp. Dried Spearmint (crushed)
- 3 Tbsp. freshly-ground Fennel seeds
- 3 Tbsp. sweet or smoked Paprika (TFD prefers smoked)
- 3 Tbsp. Tunisian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp. Turmeric
- 2 Tbsp. freshly-ground Coriander seeds
- 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt (adjust to taste/preference)
- 1 Tbsp. freshly-ground Caraway seeds
- 1 Tbsp. freshly-ground Black Pepper
- ***
- 2 tsp. The Hirshon Tabil Tunisian spice blend or to taste, made from:
- 3 Tbsp. Coriander Seeds
- 1 Tbsp. Caraway Seeds
- 1/2 Tbsp. Dried Rose Petals
- 1 tsp. Fennel Seeds
- 1 tsp. Cloves
- 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp. Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. Black Peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp. Powdered Bay Leaves
- seeds from 3 Green Cardamom pods
- ***
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Make the Merguez, if not using store-bought:
- In a large bowl, add the ground beef, lamb, minced garlic, harissa paste, extra virgin olive oil, salt, spices and thoroughly mix everything with your hands until it is well homogenized. Really get in there!!
- Set the bowl aside and prepare your lamb intestines, if you’re going really old-school (or just follow the directions on the sausage casing package if you’re sane). For the lamb intestines, you want to first rinse them out well in your sink by running the water through them, several times (at least 4 until the water runs clear). While you’re at it, discard any excess fat tissue on the sides of the intestines. After they are all rinsed out, place them in a small bowl and let them sit in water with 2 tbsp white vinegar and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes. Afterwards, dump the water, rinse them out a final time, and put them back in the bowl. They are clean and ready to be stuffed.
- Take one end of the intestine and wrap it around the tip of your funnel and push it down, pulling the intestine down towards the base of the funnel as much as you can. Take your merguez mix and begin pushing through the funnel, stuffing the intestines bit by bit. Do this until the link is completely stuffed and repeat with the other intestines until you’ve used up all the merguez mix you have. If there is any leftover, you can simply cook it as is without its casing!
- Pinch your links every 6 inches to form smaller links, fold them over each other until they are all done. We recommend keeping them in separate portion sizes in air-tight zip-lock bags and storing those you plan on using the next day in the fridge and the rest in your freezer for any future usage.
- Make the ojja:
- Heat the Argan oil in the pan, add the onion, stir a little, then add the green pepper and tomatoes and stir well. Add the merguez and stir over medium to low heat until browned on all sides. Add tomato paste and harissa and stir well. Add garlic, Aleppo pepper, and olive oil and stir.
- Add hot water to the pan and let it boil with the ingredients for a minute over low heat, then add the spices and stir well.
- Leave the ingredients to simmer for a few minutes so that the flavors blend. Make 3 indentations in the thickened sauce.
- Crack the eggs directly in the pan into these indentations without beating them, and leave them on low heat until cooked. Garnish with parsley, and it is ready.
Leave a Reply