Fattoush

About Fattoush

Fattoush is a Levantine chopped salad and a close cousin of fatteh, sharing the same thrifty idea of putting crisped, day-old pita to good use — here the bread is toasted or fried into shards and tossed through a bowl of chopped vegetables. What sets fattoush apart from other Middle Eastern salads is sumac, the deep-red, tart berry that stains the dressing and gives the whole thing its signature lemony, almost cranberry-like sourness. Alongside romaine, tomato, cucumber, and onion, fresh mint lifts everything with a cooling herbal note, making it one of the brightest salads in the regional repertoire.

The pleasure of fattoush is textural and sharp: crunchy pita against crisp raw vegetables, all coated in a tangy sumac-and-lemon dressing that wakes up the palate. It is a staple of the Levantine mezze table and a fixture at Ramadan iftar meals, valued for cutting through richer, heavier dishes. The one rule worth respecting is timing — the pita and dressing go in only at the last moment, because the shards lose their crunch the longer they sit in the bowl. Assembled just before serving, this fattoush stays lively, and its quick, no-cook nature makes it an easy fresh partner to grilled meats or a spread of dips.