Menemen is a popular traditional Turkish dish which includes eggs, tomato, green peppers, and spices such as black and red pepper and is cooked in olive oil. Its name originates from a small town in the province of Izmir. Menemen may be made with onions, but the addition of onions is often debated and is more common when menemen is eaten as a main dish, rather than at breakfast. For breakfast, it is served with bread or pita.
White cheese may optionally be added on top of the eggs just before they finish cooking, along with a garnish of fresh herbs or scallions. It is usually served in the pan in which it is cooked, a double-handled cooking pan known as sahan. Variations of menemem exist in all Middle Eastern countries under different names. A simplified Greek version of menemem is known as tomates me ta avka.
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