Considering the theme of The Lemon Bowl, it is probably no surprise that my favorite and most common salad contains all of my favorite ingredients: lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. This is, of course, the basis of a Syrian (or Lebanese) salad.
I grew up shadowing my Great Aunt Vieve as she would prepare this delicious, fresh and addictive salad. Dressing the salad directly on the greens, I sat in awe as she seasoned, tasted and adjusted. No measuring, no teaspoons, just instinct. Utensils were no where in sight. Instead, she would simply use her hands (your greatest tool in the kitchen) to gently toss the salad, being careful not to bruise the lettuce and herbs.
Although I have no proof, I am a firm believer that my Great Aunt Vieve lived a long and healthy life due to the daily consumption of raw garlic. (Cooked whole garlic has very little, if any, medicinal benefits.) Not to brag, but I may or may not have written a research paper about the health benefits of garlic for my International Cuisine elective at Boston University. Shocker.
Why should you eat raw garlic?
- Contains anti-oxidant properties and is a source of selenium
- Lowers blood pressure
- Prevents blood clots and thus reduces the risk of stroke
- Reduces the risk of cancer, especially in the digestive system
- Lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol
- Helps regulate blood sugar levels
What’s in a Lebanese salad?
Middle Eastern Syrian Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups romaine chopped
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 4 white radishes thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 peeled cucumber chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped mint or 2 tablespoons dried mint
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 cloves garlic grated/crushed
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons za'atar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place your salad ingredients of choice in a large bowl.
- Add fresh herbs.
- Squeeze juice of one lemon around the bowl, carefully holding your opposite hand underneath to catch the seeds.
- Grate garlic directly over the salad using a microplane.
- Drizzle olive oil around the edge of the salad (this will help ensure the salad is dressed evenly as you toss.)
- Using, hands, gently toss the salad together. Sprinkle with zaatar, salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Recipe Notes:
Check out more Lebanese recipes on my Pinterest board!
When do you add the dried herbs or do you actually use fresh mint?
Either one works!!
This is very good! My grandparents came over from Lebanon and I watched my Sitto makes this many times. Its been a staple in my home, too. However, I don’t ever remember her using za’atar. It’s a nice addition to the dressing!
That’s definitely an addition I’ve added because it has sumac in it and I love the flavor. :) I hope you love this! PS: Did you call your grandma Jiddo?
I called my grandfather Jiddo. So glad to have found your page. Really enjoy these recipes!
<3 I called mine Jid.
Thanks for this delicious-looking recipe! I work for Preemptive Love Coalition—a nonprofit based in the Middle East. We are a relief and development organization actively involved in helping people affected by the war in Syria.
We want to help people in the U.S. stay engaged with the crisis and thought of using the connecting power of food to do that. Will you help us in this effort?
Tragically, many people in the west only think of Syria in terms of destruction and war. They have no idea about its beautiful culture and ancient history! We hope to challenge that misperception and highlight our shared humanity by creating a series of articles about pre-war Syria that include pictures, recipes, and stories.
While searching for Syrian recipes, we came across your beautiful blog. Would it be ok if we shared your site with our people and linked back to it? We’ll feature some Syrian food bloggers as part of this piece and would love to include you in that.
We also want to talk about what displaced families eat today. One of our programs in Syria is an emergency food kitchen that feeds 31,000 people a day. Most of the time, they serve simple versions of traditional Syrian dishes like mujadara. We would love to build empathy by encouraging people to make a simple Syrian dish like that.
Would you join us in our effort to build bridges, foster empathy, and create a more beautiful world? We thought of several ways we could collaborate but would love to hear your ideas as well. We thought perhaps you could repost or share our story when it runs (hopefully within the next 3-4 weeks)? Or write your own post about these issues? Or share another simple, Syrian recipe that you think everyone should try? We would love to hear your ideas.
Thank you for your time, and please let us know what you think.
Sincerely,
Christine Edwards
This is a great salad but the authentic recipe calls for Sumac not Za’atar. I tried I.T with Za’atar and it’s good but not nearly as good as with Sumac. It’s a 5 star recipe with Sumac but a 4 star with Za’ata.
That’s what’s so great about cooking – you can make it your own to suit your own tastebuds. Glad you found a way to make it your own!
Thank you for your kind comment! I hope you love the salad!
I packed this salad for lunch this week and my bestie at work loved it so much that I shared the recipe with her. I hope you don’t mind.
That makes me so happy!!!! Thanks for sharing!
What great timing that this was just reposted! I am in charge of an annual banquet at church that features food from around the world and this fit perfectly with the theme. I have a garden full of fresh mint to use and over 70 people enjoyed this salad last night with almost none left over. Thanks for such a delicious and healthy recipe.
Oh wow that is so wonderful! I’m so glad your church enjoyed this salad! We make it almost every night for dinner. :) I hope you get to try other recipes of mine!
Thank you for this recipe! It was very interesting to try. My five year old asked for more. The raw garlic had a bite- I never thought Id say this, but next time I’d use a little less. I didn’t think the mint added enough to the salad to justify its expense (we’re on a tight budget tho). My spice shop had the spice spelled Zahtar for some reason and again I was interested to try it but not sure this is the fattoush flavor profile I’ve enjoyed in the many Mediterranean restaurants here (we have a large Lebanese population here). I’ll keep looking for another fattoush recipe. So glad tho to have learned about grating garlic- never tried that!
Erin I totally understand about the fresh mint… we only use it in the summer when it’s growing like a weed in our backyard. Dried mint works really well during the non-growing season! As for the garlic- did you grate it with a microplane? If you do it that way it literally will melt into the vinaigrette. Just a few tips as raw garlic is super healthy. As for za’atar, it varies quite a bit brand to brand so keep experimenting! This is my favorite brand: http://amzn.to/1Rg5ca8
We had this for dinner tonight. I added some roasted chickpeas to mine, and served with toasted whole wheat pitas for a great vegetarian dinner. Thank you!
That sounds incredible – so glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve been craving this salad ever since I had it back in March and finally bought all the ingredients to make it this week!
Ahhh!! Yay!!! I hope you love it!
Can I do this without oil?
You could but it won’t taste as good. :)
I can not wait to get my hands on some za’atar! I love raw garlic on my salads with lemon & olive oil just like this!! So fresh & perfect!!
I have made this 3 times and it is good..but not like my grandmothers? It looks just like hers..but the lemon and garlic is just a little too bitter? My grandmother came over from Lebanon when she was 50 and she did not speak English or change her recipes to North American standards. She made pita bread that was sooo good and use egg whites.
Oh wow Steve that’s incredible! I wonder if she used garlic powder instead of fresh or perhaps citric acid instead of fresh lemon juice?