Tabbouleh in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Tabbouleh is a parsley salad, finely chopped, with bulgur, tomato, mint, spring onion, lemon and olive oil. Despite the Western version, it is a herb salad first and a grain salad a distant second: it should be overwhelmingly green, the bulgur a minor player. Bright, sharp and fresh, it is one of the essential Lebanese mezze.
What tabbouleh is
Masses of flat-leaf parsley are very finely chopped, mixed with a little fine bulgur wheat (soaked to soften), diced tomato, chopped mint, spring onion, and dressed with plenty of lemon juice, olive oil and salt. The Lebanese original is a parsley salad, deep green, with the bulgur as texture rather than bulk, and no cucumber or excess grain. The Western and supermarket versions invert this into a bulgur salad with a little parsley, which Lebanese cooks would not recognise. It should taste bright, herby, lemony and fresh.
How to judge it
It should be predominantly green, the parsley finely and evenly chopped by knife (not blitzed to mush), sharp with lemon, and only lightly studded with bulgur and tomato. A pale, grain-heavy, under-lemoned version is the anglicised one. The fineness of the chop and the ratio of herb to grain are the marks of a real tabbouleh. It is best fresh, dressed just before serving.
Tabbouleh on the mezze table
It is one of the fresh cold mezze, cutting through the richer dips and grills. It is scooped with lettuce leaves or bread. It is naturally vegan and one of the healthiest, freshest things on the table.
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 tabbouleh for a fresh, sharp, herby counterpoint to the grills and dips; the real version is deep green, mostly parsley with only a little bulgur. Scoop it with lettuce or bread. Naturally vegan.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most tabbouleh specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve tabbouleh near you.
Make it at home
Serves 4 · 25 min
Ingredients
- 3 large bunches flat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fine bulgur, soaked 15 min and drained
- 3 tomatoes, finely diced
- a handful of mint, chopped
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- juice of 2 lemons, 4 tbsp olive oil, salt
Method
- 01Chop the parsley as finely as you can with a sharp knife; do not use a processor.
- 02Mix with the soaked bulgur, tomato, mint and spring onion.
- 03Dress with lemon, olive oil and salt just before serving.
- 04Taste; it should be sharp and green.
It is a parsley salad, not a bulgur one; keep the bulgur to a minor role. Chop the parsley by knife for the right texture.