1 c Toasted thin pita bread,
-broken in small pieces
3 md Sized cucumbers, peeled and
-diced, or
1 Romaine lettuce heart,
-shredded
1 lg Tomato, or more if desired
1 lg White onion, -or-
8 Scallions
1/2 c Parsley, chopped
1/2 c Mint leaves, chopped
1/2 c Baqli leaves (an Arabic
-herb)
2 Cloves garlic
1/2 c Lemon juice, -or-
1/2 c Sammak water (see below)
1/2 c Olive oil
1 lg Green pepper
Salt to taste
A local seasoning called sammak gives this salad a different and slightly
astringent taste. The original recipe uses leftover, dried Arabic bread,
but crumbled melba toast may be substituted.
Put toasted pieces of bread in large salad bowl. Sprinkle with sammak water
or lemon juice. (Sammak water is prepared by crushing a tablespoon of seeds
and steeping them in half cup o water for 15 minutes. Work seeds between
fingers to extract essence. Wear rubber gloves as juice stains the
fingers.) Add chopped cucumbers or lettuce, green pepper, tomato, parsley,
mint, baqli. Sprinkle chopped onions with salt and add. Mix well and add
olive oil slowly. Taste. Adjust salt. Garlic pounded to a paste with salt
and lemon juice may be added. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of pounded sammak if
available.
(From Food from the Arab World Marie Karam Khayat and Margaret Clark
Keatinge, Khayat’s, Beirut 1959)
Yields
1 Servings