P
Greek and Levantine · Lebanon
Tabbouleh
Lebanese tabbouleh is primarily a parsley salad — finely chopped flat-leaf parsley dominates, with a small amount of fine bulgur wheat (less than is commonly believed), tomato, spring onion, mint, lemon juice, and olive oil. The bulgur is soaked rather than cooked and should be barely visible among the parsley. Tabbouleh is not a grain salad with parsley — it is a herb salad with grain. This distinction is the Lebanese cook's primary grievance about Western versions.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
150g
bulgur wheat
fine grade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200ml
boiling water
Your own market
80g
fresh parsley
finely chopped
Your own market
30g
4
1
large English cucumber
diced small (6mm)
Your own market
4
spring onions (white and light green)
thinly sliced
Your own market
60ml
extra-virgin olive oil
Your own market
45ml
fresh lemon juice
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4g
sea salt
Your own market
1g
black pepper
Your own market
0.5g
sumac
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Pour boiling water over bulgur wheat in heatproof bowl, cover tightly, rest for 12 minutes until tender and liquid absorbed; fluff with fork, cool to room temperature.
2
Combine cooled bulgur with finely chopped parsley and mint in large bowl.
3
Fold in diced tomatoes, cucumber, and spring onions gently, mixing without crushing vegetables.
4
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper; drizzle over salad and toss gently until evenly coated.
5
Season with sumac, taste and adjust salt/lemon as needed; serve immediately at room temperature.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where tabbouleh lives or dies is the parsley drying — after washing the parsley, spin it vigorously in a salad spinner, then spread on clean kitchen towels and pat dry. Any remaining moisture will dilute the lemon dressing to water within 10 minutes. The final salad should be bright, green, and glistening from olive oil — not pooled with liquid at the base.
Pillars V — VII
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