Fattoush- traditional Lebanese salad

Have you ever tried fattoush? Fattoush is a traditional Lebanese salad, colorful, refreshing, crunchy and full of flavor.

It’s simply made with coarsely chopped vegetables and herbs, toasted or fried Arabic bread and a sweet-tangy dressing.

Sumac, a deep red spice with a lemony flavor, is a key ingredient. It’s sprinkled over the salad and bread before toasting, and used in the dressing. Sumac powder is available in Middle Eastern markets, in the spice aisle of some grocery stores and you can also buy it online.

Let’s talk about pomegranate molasses and purslane. Pomegranate molasses is a thick, dark brown syrup with a sweet and sour tang. Purslane is an herb similar to watercress. If you can’t get your hands on these ingredients, don’t worry. You can still make a great fattoush even without them.

Arabic Bread is like pita bread but slightly thinner. You can either deep fried it or brush it with olive oil, sprinkle with sumac and bake for 5 minutes. Remember don’t add the toasted bread to the salad until you are about to serve it or else it will soak up the liquid and become soggy.

Serve the fattoush salad on its own or as a side dish with grilled meat, fish or chicken.

 I recommend you give this easy, fresh and delicious recipe a try. I think you will love it!

Side view of a Fattoush salad, a traditional Lebanese salad.
Print Recipe

How To Make It: Fattoush- Traditional Lebanese Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 3
(5 stars) 3 ratings
Fattoush, a traditional Lebanese salad, is a delicious combination of fresh veggies, a bright citrus dressing, herbs and toasted pita bread.

Ingredients

For the toasted Arabic bread:

  • 2 arabic bread or pita bread
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sumac powder
  • For the salad:
  • 6 leaves of romaine lettuce coarsely chopped
  • 3 red radish trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 firm ripe tomatoes diced
  • 2 small cucumbers (or 1 large) halved lengthwise and chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1 green onion thinly sliced (white and green parts)
  • ½ small bunch fresh mint stem removed and coarsely chopped
  • ½ small bunch flat leaf parsley stem removed and coarsely chopped
  • ½ small bunch purslane leaves only
  • For the dressing:
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • the juice of half lemon
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • 1 teaspoon sumac powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • With a scissor, cut the Arabic bread into 4 pieces and split them in half.
  • Brush each wedge with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with sumac powder and toast them in the oven at 375 degrees° F (180° degrees C) for 5 minutes or until they are light brown. Put aside.
  • Chop all the vegetables and herbs and place them in a large bowl.
  • Prepare the dressing.Take a small glass jar with a lid and combine all the ingredients. Put the lid on and shake the jar until all the ingredients are well-blended.
  • Pour the dressing on the salad and toss lightly.
  • Crash the toasted bread with your hands, add it to the salad and mix again gently.
  • Sprinkle the fattoush salad with sumac powder (optional) and serve!
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 247 kcal, Carbohydrates: 27.9 g, Protein: 4.4 g, Fat: 14.4 g, Saturated Fat: 2.1 g, Sodium: 173 mg, Fiber: 2.8 g, Sugar: 8 g
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Author: Elena Tomasi
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Fattoush- traditional Lebanese salad