Zhug
Also known as zhoug, skhug, schug, sahawiq, zhug paste
Paste
Quick answer
The Yemeni chilli-herb paste of fresh chillies, coriander leaf and garlic with cardamom, cumin and black pepper. Carried to Israel by Yemenite Jews and now eaten across the Levant, it is a seasoning as much as a condiment, and its cardamom is what separates it from a generic green chilli sauce.
In essentially every version: Fresh hot chilli, Coriander leaf, Garlic, Green cardamom, Cumin, Black pepper, Salt.
2 distinct versions are set out below. None of them is presented as the correct one, because there isn’t one.
What goes into it
What essentially every version is made from, with what each ingredient is there to do.
| Ingredient | Role | How essential |
|---|---|---|
| Serrano (fresh)Any hot fresh chilli — green for green zhug, red for red. Serrano is the nearest widely available match rather than the traditional variety. | heat | defining |
| Coriander leaf (fresh) | base | defining |
| Garlic (fresh) | savoury depth | defining |
| Green cardamom (ground)The Yemeni signature. Cardamom in a chilli paste is unusual anywhere else. | primary aromatic | usual |
| Cumin (ground) | supporting aromatic | usual |
| Black pepper (ground) | heat | usual |
| Cloves (ground) | supporting aromatic | optional |
| Parsley (fresh) | bulking | optional |
| Salt | salt | usual |
Colour is the first division: green zhug from green chillies and plenty of coriander, red zhug from red chillies with less herb. A third, brown zhug with tomato is known in Israel. Within each, households vary the spice — some use only cardamom, some cumin, pepper and cloves as well — and the herb-to-chilli ratio. Yemeni sahawiq is traditionally pounded on a stone; blender zhug is smoother and greener.
The versions
Each attributed, with how firm its proportions are stated plainly.
Green zhug
Regional traditionYemenite and Israeli household practice · proportions representative · medium confidence
Fresh green chillies with a large amount of coriander, garlic, cardamom, cumin and pepper, pounded or blended with oil and salt. Proportions are representative, by volume.
| Ingredient | Parts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coriander leaf | 3–4 | 62% |
| Fresh hot chilli | 1–2 | 27% |
| Garlic | 0.25–0.5 | 7% |
| Green cardamom | 0.05–0.1 | 1% |
| Cumin | 0.05–0.1 | 1% |
| Black pepper | 0.05–0.1 | 1% |
Olive oil and salt are added to consistency and taste.
Red zhug
Regional traditionYemenite and Israeli household practice · no amounts given · medium confidence
Red chillies, fresh or soaked dried, with garlic and the same spices and less herb. Hotter-looking and slightly sweeter.
Made with: Red chilli, Garlic, Green cardamom, Cumin, Coriander leaf. The source gives no amounts, so none are shown.
Using it
Mostly at the table, in small amounts, but also stirred into soups and stews at the end and used as a marinade. Mixed with hilbeh, the whipped fenugreek relish, it makes one of the classic Yemeni pairings.
Fiercely hot and green-herbal, with raw garlic and a cool, resinous cardamom note underneath that makes it recognisably Yemeni. The cumin and pepper give it more body than a plain chilli-herb sauce.
Hot.
- Falafel, sabich and shawarma in bread
- Eggs and shakshuka
- Yemeni soups such as marak
- Grilled meat and fish
- Mixed with hilbeh, the Yemeni fenugreek relish
Scaling: Scale by the herbs and add chilli to taste; chilli heat varies more between batches than anything else in the paste.
What to use it on
Chickpeas
ClassicZhug is the standard hot condiment for falafel in the Israeli and Yemenite tradition; its fresh coriander and cardamom lift fried chickpea and cut through tahini.
How: Falafel in pitta; Hummus with zhug
Eggs
StrongEaten with eggs across Yemeni and Israeli breakfasts and spooned onto shakshuka and sabich, where the fresh heat and coriander balance rich yolk.
How: Shakshuka; Sabich; Boiled or fried eggs
Storage
Good for: not established
In the fridge, covered with a thin layer of oil.
Dulling colour is a quality matter. A fresh herb-and-garlic paste kept warm or kept too long is a safety matter.
Allergens and safety
Not among the substances that must be declared as allergens under EU Regulation 1169/2011 Annex II or under the United States major food allergen rules. That is a statement about labelling law and not about whether allergy occurs: allergic reactions to spices are documented in the clinical literature and are simply not a labelling category. Where a ground spice presents an allergen risk it is usually through adulteration or shared processing equipment rather than through the plant itself.
Culture and origin
Yemen, where it is called sahawiq and is eaten with bread, eggs and meat. Yemenite Jewish communities brought it to Israel in the twentieth century, where as zhug or schug it became an everyday condiment for falafel, sabich and soups.
Yemen
Sahawiq is pounded fresh on a flat stone and eaten with bread, meat and the fenugreek relish hilbeh; it is part of the everyday table.
Yemenite Jews in Israel
A diaspora community: Yemenite Jews in Israel.
Brought by Yemenite Jewish immigrants and adopted across Israeli street food, where it now sits beside tahini and amba as a standard condiment. Its spread is one of the clearest cases of a diaspora seasoning becoming a national one.