There is no Prince Pilpelchuma, at least not as far as I know. (Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.)

Though fictional, Prince Pilpelchuma’s name is taken from two very real foods: a fiery hot condiment called pilpelchuma, a recipe for which can be found in the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi; and hot chicken, a type of spicy fried chicken found in  (more…)

Tucked in the back of the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, in the condiment section, is pilpelchuma, a potent chile-and-garlic paste that is often compared to Tunisian harissa. Also spelled pilpelshuma or filfel chuma, it means “pepper garlic.” An apt name considering that in Ottolenghi and Tamimi’s version contains 20 cloves of garlic and 4½ tablespoons of cayenne pepper.

Ottolenghi and Tamimi do not use pilpelchuma in a recipe in Jerusalem, but instead give a couple of suggestions for its use. They suggest (more…)