Last Updated on June 11, 2022
Lebanese Peasant Salad
Our Lebanese kitchen carries many jewels, and Fattoush salad is one of them. What distinguishes Fattoush are 2 main aspects: the number of greens and vegetables it carries, and the complex rich flavor that the pomegranate molasses and/or sumac spice engulf it with. Fatoush salad is the official Lebanese villager salad, where people traditionally throw in whatever spring/summer harvest they have. For this reason, you may find “typical” ingredients for Fattoush that are common in most recipes, and some distinguishing ingredients that may vary based on what village it represents. It is also commonly known as Lebanese Peasant Salad.
Lebanese Fattoush Salad Recipe
Lebanese Fattoush Salad Recipe
In this recipe, we’re going to feature what a typical Fattoush salad is to peasants/villagers in the Kadisha canyon of North Lebanon. The Fattoush Salad Recipe can be made with a different combinations of ingredients as long as it has a sweet tangy taste. Folks achieve this tartness with lemon juice, Sumac spice and/or Pomegranate molasses.
In our recipe, we’re going to use all three ingredients in order to get a really rich and complex sweet and tangy taste.
Finally, folks in our mountains enjoy eating the Fattoush salad (Lebanese Peasant Salad) with bare fingers. They excuse themselves and say that it tastes much better with hands. And they’re true, try it out 🙂
Authentic Lebanese Fattoush Salad Recipe - Villagers Salad
Ingredients
- 2 lbs tomatoes chopped
- 1 lbs cucumbers Persian preferred
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 bunch mint green
- 1 bunch Italian parsley
- 1/2 bunch red radish
- 20 leaves lettuce romaine
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 bunch purslane optional
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoons Sumac
- 1/3 cup pomegranate molasses
- 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 0.5 teaspoon Salt
- 5 loaves pita bread
Instructions
Preparing the Fattoush Ingredients
- Use fresh, organic veggies if possible. Rinse all veggies thoroughly with cold water or veggie wash they set aside to dry.
- Open up and separate the 2 sides of pita bread, cut them into 1x1 inch squares, sprinkle a bit of sumac and olive oil on them, and toast them in the oven for 2-4 minutes or until they are light brown and crunchy.
- Chop the tomatoes into small chunks of 1 inch.
- Chop the Persian cucumbers into disks of 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick. If Persian cucumbers are not available, use English or regular cucumbers and chop into smaller pieces since they have a larger diameter naturally.
- Chop onions into small disks of about 1/3 inch long.
- Remove stems and chop leaves of mint and parsley. You don't want the pieces to be too tiny or too large.
- Red Radish: chop into thin disks.
- Green Pepper: Chop into small pieces of 1/3 inch.
- Lettuce: chop into pieces of 1-2 inches.
- Garlic: crush garlic with a dash of salt, put aside.
Mixing the Fattoush Salad
- Immediately before serving, mix all of the veggies in a salad bowl along with the crushed garlic, pomegranate molasses, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, sumac and salt and mix well.
- Add the toasted bread and give it a quick gentle mix.
- Serve with a side of BBQ.