I grew up eating the same salad for dinner almost every day, but it didn’t feel monotonous and boring. Maybe it was because of the crispy fried pita chips on top of the salad, or maybe it was because of the sweet, tangy dressing that I would gulp down remnants of after I finished eating the salad, but I think it’s mostly because this salad evolved based on whatever fresh vegetables my mom had in her fridge. Meet Fattoush salad.

What is Fattoush?

The word “fattoush” is derived from “fatteh” which in Arabic translates to crumbs. That’s because the salad is meant to be a compilation of the “crumbs” or the leftover vegetables and pita bread from other meals. The most authentic version of fattoush (that you’ll find at restaurants and in Middle Eastern cookbooks) always uses lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, green onions and parsley. It’s then tossed in a delicious dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pomegranate molasses, mint, salt and pepper, and topped with fried pita chips just before serving. The dressing really ties the whole dish together, and my mom used to make enough to last two weeks to drizzle on top of any leftover “crumbs” that may become fattoush salad on any given day.

What matters most is using crisp and colorful vegetables that soak up the zingy dressing and balance the taste of the warm, fried pita chips.

How to Vary Fattoush

When I make my Lebanese Fattoush, I try to use essential ingredients as much as possible, but just because I don’t have radishes on hand, for example, doesn’t mean that I’ll skip making the salad. I also love to add flavorful, colorful or crunchy ingredients like red cabbage, green pepper, shredded carrots, red onions or even pomegranate arils, which add a beautiful pop of color and complement the pomegranate molasses in the dressing.

Another way I vary my fattoush recipe is by toasting torn pita bread on a pan lightly coated with olive oil, instead of deep-frying them. Deep-fried pita chips added on top of a fattoush salad are basically like the croutons of the Middle East — they’re savory, satisfying and so loved by everyone. But to make the recipe more approachable and decrease the mess for deep-frying, I find that shallow pan-frying or oven-baking them offers just the right amount of compromise while still keeping all the flavor and crunch.

A TikTok Take on Fattoush

Salads have been having a moment on TikTok over the past year. I’m not sure if it started with the Green Goddess Salad made popular by Baked by Melissa, but chopping salad ingredients finely in a way that makes them scoopable with a tortilla chip, toasted bread, cracker or pita chip is definitely still trending. Seeing this trend all over social media made me realize that my beloved, ever-evolving fattoush salad would have incredible virality.

So I updated the recipe I normally make and used the help of a vegetable chopper to chop all the vegetables into equal sized pieces. There’s something about the presentation of a salad when everything is finely chopped that makes it so much more appetizing, especially for kids! Every bite is full of so much texture, flavor and color, so this preparation can really make any salad more enjoyable.

And I would have to say the most enjoyable and fun part about this recipe is the pita chips. To make it easier to prepare a big batch of pita chips, I cut pita bread into small triangles and toss them together with olive oil and sumac. Sumac is also used in the dressing and has a tart and sweet peppery taste that compliments the salad so well. I find that baking a big amount of pita chips in the oven is easier than frying them, and they will continue to get crisp as they cool.

Instead of serving the pita chips on top of the salad to follow Lebanese tradition, the pita chips get served on the side of the salad, ready for dipping into the salad, similar to a salsa-style appetizer. Eating a salad by hand is so different and fun, and it removes the worry about any pita chips getting soggy on top of a salad.

I’ve tried this method a few times with my kids, and I have to say they just enjoy the salads so much more this way. This is one TikTok trend that I approve of and I love how it made something classic and delicious like Fattoush, even more enjoyable to eat.

Related Links:

When I Want to Make Dinner Easier, I Think "Unstuffed"

The Community I Have Found Online Makes Ramadan Even More Special

Must-Try Middle Eastern Recipes