Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة, romanized: tabbūla), also transcribed tabouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, or taboulah, is a Levantine salad of finely chopped parsley, soaked bulgur, tomatoes, mint, and onion, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper. Some variations add lettuce, or use semolina instead of bulgur.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh
Course	Salad
Place of origin	Lebanon and Syria
Region or state	Eastern Mediterranean
Serving temperature	Cold
Main ingredients	Parsley, tomato, bulgur, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, salt
Variations	Pomegranate seeds instead of tomato
Cookbook: Tabbouleh   Media: Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is traditionally served as part of a mezze in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Arab world.^[6][7][8][9] Like hummus, baba ghanoush, pita bread, and other elements of Arab cuisine, tabbouleh has become a popular food in the United States.^[10][11]

Etymology

The Levantine Arabic tabbūle is derived from the Arabic word tābil from the Aramaic root word t-b-l 'seasoning'^[12][13] or more literally "dip".^{[citation needed]} Use of the word in English first appeared in the 1950s.^[12]

History

Originally from the mountains of Lebanon and Syria,^[14] tabbouleh has become one of the most popular salads in the Middle East.^[15] The wheat variety salamouni^{[what language is this?]} cultivated in the Beqaa Valley region in Lebanon, was considered (in the mid-19th century) as particularly well-suited for making bulgur, a basic ingredient of tabbouleh.^[16] In Lebanon, the Lebanese National Tabbouleh Day is a yearly festivity day dedicated to Tabbouleh. Since 2001^[update], it is celebrated the first Saturday of the month of July.^[17]

Regional variations

Tabbouleh ingredients

In the Arab world, especially Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, it is usually served as part of a meze.^[18] The Syrian and the Lebanese use more parsley than bulgur wheat in their dish. A Turkish variation of the dish known as kısır,^[19] and a similar Armenian dish known as eetch use far more bulgur than parsley. Another ancient variant is called terchots.^[20] In the Dominican Republic, a local version introduced by Syrian and Lebanese immigrants is called Tipile.^[21] It is widely popular in Israel.^[22][23][24]

Retail sales

A package of tabbouleh

Several manufacturers make tabbouleh for sale in supermarkets.^[25][26]

See also

• List of salads
• List of vegetable dishes
• Kısır
• Eetch