A crisp fresh vegetable salad with toasted pita, pomegranate molasses, and tangy sumac — a beloved staple of the Levantine table.

خطوات التحضير

Toast the Arabic pita in the oven or over low heat until crispy and golden, then break it into small, irregular pieces.

Wash and chop all the vegetables as listed, and place them in a large salad bowl.

Add the chopped mint and parsley to the vegetables.

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, crushed garlic, sumac, and salt in a small bowl.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well until everything is evenly coated.

Add the toasted bread pieces at the very last moment right before serving, so it stays crisp and doesn't go soggy from the dressing.

Serve the fattoush immediately with an extra sprinkle of sumac on top.

نصيحة

Add the toasted bread only right before serving — leaving it in the salad too long makes it soggy and the dish loses its signature crunch. Pomegranate molasses can be substituted with extra lemon juice if unavailable, but it gives fattoush its authentic sweet-tangy flavor.

Fattoush is one of the most beloved salads in Levantine cuisine (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine), believed to have originated from farmers making use of stale leftover bread rather than discarding it — toasting it and adding it to the salad for extra crunch. The name "fattoush" comes from the word "fatt," meaning to crumble bread.

Fattoush is built on a rich mix of fresh vegetables like lettuce, tomato, cucumber, radish, green onion, and mint, dressed with a blend of olive oil, lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses, finished with a generous sprinkle of tangy sumac spice — the salad's signature touch.

Fattoush is typically served as an appetizer within a Levantine mezze spread alongside hummus, mutabbal, and grape leaves, and makes a refreshing, light choice especially popular in summer thanks to its abundance of fresh vegetables.