Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Joan Nathan's book The Foods of Israel Today. Nathan also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.
To read more about Nathan and Israeli cuisine, click here.
Sometimes called Turkish Salad, this typical Israeli salad, served at almost every meal, has many variations. But one thing remains the same: the tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cucumbers must be cut into tiny pieces, a practice of the Ottoman Empire. Two types of cucumber are common in Israel: one, like the Kirby cucumber, goes by the name of melafofon in Hebrew and khiyar in Arabic; the other, called fakus in Arabic, is thinner, longer, and fuzzy, and is eaten without peeling.
Recipe information
Yield
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
1. Remove the pith and seeds from the peppers and dice them along with the tomatoes, onion, and cucumber. Toss together in a wooden or ceramic bowl.
Step 2
2. In a separate small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour over the vegetables, mix, sprinkle with sumac or za'atar, and serve.
Joan Nathan shares her tips with Epicurious:
Step 3
•Sumac powder, the ground berry of a Turkish evergreen tree, is available at www.ethnicgrocer.com. This Arabic ingredient, which was adopted into Israeli cooking, has a sour, fruity flavor.
•Za'atar, a spice mix made from wild oregano, sesame seeds, salt, and ground sumac, is ubiquitous in Middle Eastern cooking, often sprinkled on pita bread that's been drizzled with olive oil. Za'atar is available at www.penzeys.com.
