Gazawi Shatta (شطة) Recipe

The traditional method is to pick the peppers, wash, remove stems, dry well, in sun if needed, to get rid of any moisture, grind the peppers (preferably with a meat grinder - seeds need to stay whole) and then strain them a bit of their water, add salt and olive oil,  and transfer to jars and cover with cheesecloth and rubber band. Store in a place free of moisture to ferment for about 5 days in summer, mixing every day. Move to fridge to finish fermenting for 3-4 more days, before covering with olive oil to prevent spoilage and sealing with a sterilized lid.

Some people will add a small spoon of vinegar to speed up the fermentation process.

Recipe with gratitude to Laila El-Haddad, author of the Gaza Kitchen.

‍