Why It Works
- Slicing the greens into bite-size items lets you expertise all of the completely different flavors and textures in every chunk.
- Tossing the pita with the greens and dressing proper earlier than serving provides the bread an opportunity to soak up the flavors with out turning into too soggy.
- Ending the salad with grated halloumi cheese and floor sumac offers a placing visible whereas additionally bringing savory, bitter flavors.
Many salads are an afterthought, however not fattoush—the various contrasting textures and flavors on this vegetable and pita salad make it a star in its personal proper. It’s typically the salad of alternative at Arab dinner events as a result of it’s substantial sufficient to fulfill somebody who might want to not eat meat, however remains to be gentle and refreshing sufficient to enrich heavier dishes. It has develop into emblematic of iftar dinners, and infrequently have I sat at a Ramadan iftar desk and not using a platter of fattoush. Fattoush’s recognition for iftar and normally may partially be as a result of the truth that it’s nutritious due to the number of greens it consists of, but in addition as a result of it’s customizable and a great way to make use of no matter greens and greens you will have at house. Plus, lots of the parts of fattoush may be ready forward, which makes it a easy dish to assemble.
Like different fatteh recipes, fattoush is derived from the Arabic phrase “fatt,” which means to interrupt bread into morsels and steep in a liquid like a soup or stew. Fattoush is a variation on that phrase, utilizing the suffix “oush,” which is usually used endearingly in nicknames or to seek advice from cute issues in a number of Arabic dialects.
Fattoush is a conventional Levantine dish eaten throughout Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine all year long. Whereas tales about its creation and naming abound, it’s possible that its origin, like that of many Arabic dishes, harkens again to instances of austerity, when numerous components like meat, legumes, or produce had been both not available or costly. Bread was typically used to bulk issues up and switch different pantry staples, like legumes, right into a meal. These days, nonetheless, individuals make an effort to organize bread specifically for fattoush by frying or toasting items of pita, and typically even rolling them into fairly snail-like shapes earlier than frying.
Traditionally, the first components used to make fattoush had been tomatoes, cucumbers, and bread. Over time, it has advanced right into a extra intricate salad with a base of lettuce and purslane and, along with the normal tomatoes and cucumber, it might embrace scallions, parsley, mint, bell peppers, and radishes, together with the quintessential toasted bread. Lemony purslane enhances the sharpness of the tomatoes and the pomegranate molasses, and the parsley and mint present a shiny herbaceousness. The one ingredient on this recipe that may be difficult to seek out is purslane, although you may typically discover it at farmers’ markets, in addition to at well-stocked grocery shops. In case you can’t discover it, you may substitute with combined spring greens, child spring, or extra lettuce. (Simply keep away from arugula or kale as a result of they are often overpowering.)
How fattoush is introduced varies in response to desire. Many decide to prime the salad with bread to maintain it crispy, permitting every individual to combine their portion upon serving, whereas others want to combine every part collectively earlier than serving. I discover the latter extra flavorful, even when the presentation isn’t as placing. For an much more elaborate model, some individuals, together with myself, grate white cheese—akkawi, nabulsi, or halloumi all work—over the salad, together with a beneficiant sprinkling of ground sumac. These garnishes make the salad much more lovely whereas additionally bringing a extra complicated taste. Halloumi’s deep savoriness and sumac’s shiny tartness complement each other, whereas additionally highlighting the punchy dressing of lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. Tossed collectively, the salad is crisp, refreshing, and retains you coming again for extra.