Fattoush Salad, origins explained and I’ll show you how to make your own!
Say the word “Fattoush” these days and most people think; “The salad with pita chips”. Although that may be a true statement, there’s a lot more to this salad that sadly, gets overlooked. We’ll start with the name “Fattoush”, which comes from the Arabic word “Fett”, means to rip or tear. This describes the action used to tear apart the khubz (Arabic flat bread) which is a main ingredient of this salad. In its origins, this salad would’ve been referred to as “salata fatt”, which translates to “torn or ripped salad”. So how did that become “fattoush”? Allow me to explain. Although the origins of fattoush was to simply tear some khubz in a salad, it has morphed into something entirely different now. Due to the Lebaneses people’s competitive nature, chefs started to adding vegetables to their salad, one-upping the next until it reached a point when a chef was asked “what do you put in your “fatt salad”? He replied: “Fattish”, meaning “search” in Arabic and the name stuck! Nowadays, a good fattoush is measured by how many different vegetables you can squeeze into it. Although that may seem like an easy task, a modern day fattoush does have some minor requirements. First, is (like its origins) it must have lettuce and torn Arabic bread. However, today the bread must be toasted or fried and the lettuce must be Romaine. The dressing must include lemon juice,
garlic, olive oil, ground sumac and pomegranate molasses. In my version, I build on those requirements, adjoining another dimension of flavors by adding a little sweetness from fresh dates, nuttiness from toasted pine nuts, creaminess from a ripe avocado and a little kick from a sprinkle of ground Aleppo pepper. I’ll admit my recipe is a little off the beaten path but I’ll let you be the judge. Give my recipe a try and let me know…
Fred’s Fattoush salad
Serves 4
*Note, this recipe is a baseline recipe, meaning that it may require more of the ingredients listed because it is “made to taste”. For example, some lemons may be more sour than others and may require more lemon juice.
Juice of one lemon
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic run through a garlic press
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons ground sumac
1/2 teaspoon ground Aleppo chili
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepped
1 large tomato diced
chopped
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup diced orange bell pepper
2 tablespoons red radish finely chopped
1/4 cup celery finely chopped
1/4 cup carrots finely chopped
1 green onion finely chopped
1 ripe avocado chopped
1 head Romaine lettuce chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely
1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
1/4 cup dried dates chopped
1 large Arabic bread toasted or fried broken into pieces (1 to 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
In a large bowl add the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, sumac, ground Aleppo, salt, pepper and whisk together until combined. Then add in order, (because the vegetables will release their natural juices into the dressing, rounding off the flavors), the tomato, cucumber, red onion, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, red radish, celery, carrots, green onion, avocado, Romaine lettuce, mint,parsley, pine nuts, dried dates and pomegranate seeds. Toss well, taste for seasoning before serving.
*Note, this salad may be made ahead of time, so long as it kept cool and is not tossed until ready to eat.