Fattoush is a rustic country salad of Syria and Lebanon which is on the standard menu of Lebanese restaurants. The old, traditional way was to moisten and soften the toasted bread with water and a little lemon juice before imbibing it further with the dressing, which made it deliciously soggy. Nowadays it is usual to put the bread in crisp, like French croutons.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cut open the breads and toast them under the broiler until they are crisp, turning them over once. Break them into small pieces in your hands.
Step 2
Put all the vegetables in a large bowl with the onions, rocket and purslane leaves or lamb’s lettuce, flat-leaf parsley, and mint.
Step 3
For the dressing, mix the olive oil with the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and sumac.
Step 4
Just before serving, add the toasted bread and toss well with the dressing.
Variation
Step 5
For the old-style version, put the broken pieces of toast in a bowl. Moisten and soften with a little cold water or lemon juice before adding them to the salad.
