Aden. The House of Jachnun.
When you are born into a tradition, you lead and share that tradition with all.
Aden. The House of Jachnun. A newly launched concept space where culinary simplicity meets culture, heritage, tradition and childhood memories. Owner, Nadav Samuel, pays tribute to his childhood and upbringing through the scenes, reflecting on the resonating pastry smell running through the small town of Aden. With only a single dish on the menu, you must think simplicity, almost to the extreme? Little do you know the preparation involved to achieve the perfect consistency for every element for this one dish involves patience, time and dedication.
The traditional slow cooked Yeminite delicacy, Jachnun, is cooked in the oven for approximately 14 hours to achieve a thin flaky texture and appearance. Served alongside the slightly nutty tasting pastry is a boiled looking egg, grated tomatoes and a spicy green sauce called schug. The eggs are in fact baked, absorbing the flavours from the pastry, thus forming the slightly brown colouration. The accompanying tomato sauce is no ordinary tomato sauce; tomatoes are grated and then briefly blended to retain texture, flavour and colour without adding any extra sugar or spices. The green sauce is a unique combination of green chillies, coriander and garlic. Keeping it simple is simply not true.
The emulsion of Samuel’s childhood with his father and the tradition of the Yeminite culture resonates within the small Neukolln cafe. Open from 10:00 Saturday and Sunday, be sure to get in quick, as once they are sold out, they shut up shop for the day/week. Food is quick, service is friendly and the atmosphere is comforting, neighbourly and so refreshing to be apart of. A little tip; from 11:30, tables are hard to come by but the turn over is quick so waiting times tend to be no more than 5 minutes. You could say that this is the new meeting point for locals (and a growing number of tourists) after a taste of their own childhood. For others, Aden brings about a new culinary experience offered in Berlin involving a glimpse at a unique cultural Aden tradition.
