Fattoush: Everyone's Favorite Palestinian Salad | The Famous Bread Salad

This blog post is inspired by the sumac we've included in the curated gift boxes for Ramadan. Send this very special gift box that is 100% from Palestine to someone special who is celebrating the Holy Month of Ramadan.

We thank Mai Kakish from the amazing blog Almond and Fig for this post. Be sure to follow her on Instagram for inspired recipes! She's truly amazing! <3 

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Fattoush is a classic salad is much loved all over the Middle East especially in the Levantine. The salad was built on the idea that farmers would use leftover stale pita bread and soak it with seasonal vegetables and herbs to create a more hearty meal. In Arabic the word “fatt" فت  means to scatter or crush, referring to the bread part of this salad. 

Fattoush is delicious in the summertime when vegetables and herbs are at their peak, but It's also served during Ramadan at Iftar, the meal to break the fast. An array of chopped fresh vegetables and herbs in a slightly tart and ruby dressing from the sumac berries.

It’s not a Fattoush salad unless it has bread and sumac--the absolute must ingredients for me--although some might add pomegranate seeds when in season and pomegranates molasses to the dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 head Romain lettuce washed and dried and chopped
• 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 small Persian cucumbers or one large English cucumber diced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3-4 Radishes, chopped 
• 5 green onions, stems removed and chopped
• 1 cup or a small bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, picked off the stems and chopped
• 1 cup purslane from a small bunch, tough stems removed and roughly chopped 
• 2 pita breads about 7 inch, cut into bite size pieces about an inch squares 

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sumac
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves

To make the dressing:

1. Add all the Ingredients to a mason jar
2. Shake well to combine

1. Preheat the oven to 400F 
2. Place bread in a baking sheet and toast in the oven until completely dried out and toasted about 8-10 minutes, set aside to cool.

1. Combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, scallions, bell pepper, purslane, mint and chopped parsley.
2. Toss the vegetables to combine. Add the dressing when ready to serve.
3. Top the salad with the crispy pita right before serving to avoid getting the bread soggy. Or serve the bread on the side.

Recipe note: Traditionally the pita chips get deep fried in oil until golden brown.

Grab some of your very own sumac to make this delicious dish from the Ramadan gift box today!

Recipe by Mai:
Almond and Fig
@almondandfig
www.almondandfig.com