Amba (condiment)

Amba or anba (Arabic: عنبة‎, but also mis-spelled عمبة, أمبة, همبة, Hebrew: עמבה‎) is a tangy mango pickle condiment of Iraqi-Jewish and Kurdish-Jewish origin, that is also popular in Israeli cuisine. It is typically made of pickled green mangoes, vinegar, salt, turmeric, chili and fenugreek. It is somewhat similar to savoury mango chutneys.

Mangoes being native to South Asia, the name “amba” seems to have been borrowed, via Arabic, from the Marathi word āmbā (आंबा), which is in turn derived from the Sanskrit word āmra (आम्र, “mango”).[1]

According to the legend, amba was developed in the 19th century by members of the Sassoon family of Bombay, India, who were Baghdadi Jews.[2] Iraqi Jewish immigrants brought it to Israel in the 1950s as an accompaniment to their Shabbat morning meal.[3]

Amba is frequently used in Iraqi cuisine, especially as a spicy sauce to be added to fish dishes, falafel, kubbah, kebabs, and eggs.