Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة, romanized: tabbūla), also transcribed tabouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, or taboulah, is a Levantine salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, soaked bulgur, and 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]

Quick Facts Course, Place of origin ...
Tabbouleh
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Tabbouleh
CourseSalad
Place of originLebanon and Syria
Region or stateEastern Mediterranean
Serving temperatureCold
Main ingredientsParsley, tomato, bulgur, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, salt
VariationsPomegranate seeds instead of tomato
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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, meaning "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, it is celebrated the first Saturday of the month of July.[17]

Regional variations

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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 Cyprus, where the dish was introduced by the Lebanese, it is known as tambouli.[what language is this?] 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

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A package of tabbouleh

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

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

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