Fattoush in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Fattoush is a Levantine bread salad of crisp fried or toasted flatbread, tomato, cucumber, radish, herbs and a sumac-and-pomegranate dressing. Sharp, crunchy and tangy, it is the other great Lebanese salad alongside tabbouleh, using up stale bread and defined by the sourness of sumac.
What fattoush is
Pieces of day-old flatbread are toasted or fried until crisp and tossed, just before serving, with tomato, cucumber, radish, spring onion, cos lettuce and herbs (mint, parsley, purslane), in a dressing of olive oil, lemon and sumac, often with a little pomegranate molasses for depth. The name comes from 'fatteh', crushed or crumbled bread. The signature is sumac, the tart red spice, and the contrast of crisp bread against fresh vegetables. It is a peasant dish that turns stale bread into something bright and moreish.
How to judge it
The bread should be crisp and added late so it keeps some crunch, the vegetables fresh, the dressing sharp with sumac and lemon. Soggy bread means it was dressed too early. Purslane, if present, is a sign of authenticity. It should be tangy and crunchy, not limp. A generous hand with sumac is the mark of a good one.
Fattoush versus tabbouleh
Both are Lebanese salads. Tabbouleh is a fine parsley-and-bulgur salad; fattoush is a chunkier vegetable-and-bread salad defined by sumac. Tabbouleh is herb-led and lemony; fattoush is bread-and-vegetable led and tangy with sumac. Order both to compare.
Where it is done well in the UK
Lebanese and Levantine restaurants. The list below shows areas with the most Lebanese restaurants.
How to order it
Order fattoush for a crunchy, tangy salad with crisp bread and sumac; the bread should stay crisp, so it is dressed late. Sumac and a little pomegranate molasses are the signatures. Order it alongside tabbouleh to compare. Vegan.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most fattoush specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve fattoush near you.
Make it at home
Serves 4 · 20 min
Ingredients
- 2 flatbreads, toasted or fried crisp and broken
- 3 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, chopped
- 4 radishes, sliced
- 1 cos lettuce, torn
- mint, parsley, spring onion
- dressing: 4 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp sumac, 1 tsp pomegranate molasses, salt
Method
- 01Toast or fry the bread until crisp and break into pieces.
- 02Chop the vegetables and herbs and combine.
- 03Whisk the dressing with the sumac and pomegranate molasses.
- 04Toss everything with the dressing and the bread just before serving so the bread stays crisp.
Add the crisp bread at the last moment. Sumac is the defining flavour; be generous.