The Levant · Bread and garden salad

Fattoush

Name: Fattoush
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Levantine
Ingredients: 2 medium pita breads, torn into 3 cm pieces; 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (90 ml), divided; 2 teaspoons ground sumac, divided; 1 large garlic clove, finely grated; 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (45 ml); 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (15 ml); 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 small romaine heart (about 250 g), chopped; 300 g ripe tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces; 1 medium cucumber (about 250 g), cut into half-moons; 6 radishes, thinly sliced; 4 spring onions, thinly sliced; 30 g flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped; 15 g mint leaves, torn

Juicy vegetables, generous herbs and crisp pita pulled together by lemon, sumac and olive oil, with pomegranate molasses adding a measured sweet-tart depth.

Jump to recipe

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 35 min
Serves: 4
Role: Side dish

Why the pita goes in last

Keep the bread in the foreground

The pita is seasoned twice. Sumac and salt bake onto the bread, then the finished pieces meet the lemony vegetable juices only at serving.

Herbs act as salad leaves. Parsley and mint remain leafy and plentiful, bringing freshness in their own right rather than functioning as a token garnish.

The variation is declared. Pomegranate molasses appears in many regional and household versions but is not universal; this recipe chooses a restrained spoonful deliberately.

The recipe

Ingredients

For 4 servings

2 medium pita breads, torn into 3 cm pieces
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (90 ml), divided
2 teaspoons ground sumac, divided
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (45 ml)
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (15 ml)
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small romaine heart (about 250 g), chopped
300 g ripe tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium cucumber (about 250 g), cut into half-moons
6 radishes, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
30 g flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
15 g mint leaves, torn

Fattoush depends on dry leaf surfaces and controlled timing. Review How to Wash, Dry and Store Salad Greens, then keep the crisp pita apart until the dressed vegetables taste complete.

Method

Protect the crunch

Build the sumac dressing
Whisk 4 tablespoons of the olive oil with 1 teaspoon of the sumac, the garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, 1/2 teaspoon of the sea salt, and the black pepper. Let it stand while you prepare the salad so the garlic and sumac can season the liquid.
Crisp the pita
Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Toss the pita pieces with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, remaining 1 teaspoon sumac, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Spread on a tray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until dry, crisp, and deep golden at the edges. Cool completely.
Prepare and dry the vegetables
Wash and dry the romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, spring onions, parsley, and mint thoroughly. Cut everything into pieces that can share a forkful, keeping the herbs leafy rather than minced. Surface water will dilute the dressing and soften the bread.
Dress the vegetable base
Combine the romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, spring onions, parsley, and mint in a wide bowl. Whisk the dressing again, pour it around the sides, and toss until every surface is lightly glossy. Taste a tomato and a leaf together; adjust only if the whole bite needs it.
Add the pita and serve
Fold in two-thirds of the cooled pita with two broad turns. Transfer to a platter, scatter the remaining pita over the top, and serve immediately so some pieces catch the lemony juices while others remain audibly crisp.

A salad of edges

Make crisp, juicy and sharp coexist

Pita

Tear rather than dice for thin, irregular edges. Bake until the centers are fully dry so they can meet dressing without collapsing at once.

Sumac

Its tart, berry-like character belongs in both bread and dressing here. Ground sumac loses fragrance over time, so smell it before using.

Tomatoes

Use ripe fruit and retain its juice. The liquid softens selected pita edges and makes the salad more than vegetables beside crackers.

Radishes

Slice thinly so their peppery crunch appears throughout. Thick pieces compete with the pita rather than supporting it.

Herbs

Keep tender stems and broad pieces of leaf. Finely minced herbs disappear into the dressing and lose their textural role.

Timing

Dress the vegetables first, fold in some pita, and hold some above the juices. That creates more than one kind of crunch.

What defines the family

Fattoush is a Levantine bread salad recognized by toasted or fried flatbread, seasonal vegetables and tart seasoning in which sumac commonly plays a defining role. Tomato, cucumber, radish, lettuce and herbs recur frequently, but proportions and additions change with place, season and household.

Fried or baked pita

Frying gives pita a blistered, rich crunch and is a traditional choice. Baking is also widely used and makes it easier to control the amount of oil in this particular recipe. Neither method should produce pale, leathery bread: take the pieces to a decisive golden crisp before cooling.

Pomegranate molasses and other variations

Pomegranate molasses brings sweetness, fruit and acidity, especially in Syrian-influenced and other regional versions, but not every fattoush includes it. Garlic strength, chile, purslane, bell pepper and dried mint also vary. This bowl keeps the vegetables familiar and lets sumac, lemon and bread provide the central identity.

A Levantine dish, not one national formula

Fattoush is cooked across the Levant and belongs to more than one modern national cuisine. Describing it only as Lebanese, Syrian or Palestinian can flatten that shared and locally varied context. This page uses “Levantine,” then identifies the choices made in the recipe rather than presenting them as universal.

Research sources: Bon Appétit, adapted from Lebanese café cook Mario Jr. Haddad and discussing regional variations; Maureen Abood’s Lebanese fattoush.