Sabich comes from the Jews of Iraq, who made a simple Sabbath morning meal of fried eggplant, slow cooked eggs and boiled potatoes, prepared before the day of rest and eaten cold after synagogue. When Iraqi Jewish families settled in Israel in the early 1950s, many of them in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, the plate became a pita sandwich, sold from small stands and kiosks. The name is usually linked to the Arabic word for morning, though a popular alternative reading spells out the Hebrew initials of salad, egg and eggplant.

It is now a street food classic across Israel and one of the most satisfying vegetarian sandwiches anywhere: soft, rich eggplant against cool egg, crunchy salad and the sharp, golden kick of amba, a pickled mango sauce that arrived in Iraq from India. Every part can be made ahead and the sandwich assembled in a minute, which is exactly what a hungry crowd at a market or a match requires.

Hard boiled eggs

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 6 cups (1.4 liters) water

Fried eggplant

Ingredients

• 1 large globe eggplant
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) neutral oil for frying

Tahini sauce and salad

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (80 g) tahini
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup (60 to 80 ml) cold water
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley

Assembly

Ingredients

• 4 pita breads
• 1/2 cup (120 g) hummus
• 4 tablespoons amba

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