Fattoush
فتوش
A bread salad — fried pita, vegetables, sumac, and a sour dressing that should stain your fingers.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: فتوش.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 28 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Fattoush is leftover pita fried or toasted until it shatters, tossed with cucumber, tomato, radish, herbs and a dressing that tastes of sumac and pomegranate molasses. The bread goes in last so it stays loud. This is not a Greek salad with croutons. Pita should be truly stale or toasted dry; floppy bread goes leathery in the dressing. Fry or bake until it shatters, then cool it. Sumac is sour dust — if yours is brown and tired, use more lemon and buy a new jar later. Pomegranate molasses can dominate; start with a teaspoon. Salt the tomatoes lightly in a colander if they are watery. Combine leaves, veg, and dressing, then the bread at the last moment. A soggy fattoush is usually early bread, not 'the wrong cucumber'. Radish and mint keep it from tasting like a generic mixed salad.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Tear pita, fry in a little oil until gold, or toast hard. Salt.
8 minStep 2
Chop vegetables and herbs. Dress with lemon, molasses, garlic, oil, sumac and salt.
12 minStep 3
Toss bread through at the table.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Pita → Any stale flatbread
Fry it. Soft bread disappears.
Tips
- Pomegranate seeds on top if you have them.
- No molasses: more lemon and a pinch of sugar. Different sour.
History & culture
The other Levantine everyday salad. Tabbouleh is herbs; fattoush is bread and crunch. This is how a household uses yesterday's bread without calling it leftovers. It sits next to grilled meat or stands as a summer lunch. Tabbouleh is a chop; this is a crunch. People from different Levantine kitchens will add purslane or not, more onion or not. That variation is normal. What is less normal is calling any chopped salad with toast 'fattoush'. The sumac should show. The bread should announce itself.
Fatteh dishes (stale bread reused) are older than the restaurant platter. Sumac is the sour that travelled. Fatteh as a family of dishes is stale bread given a new job with fat, acid, and something moist. The salad platter with fried pita is a particularly photogenic branch. Sumac as the souring agent travelled well in spice tins. Restaurant versions added more leaves to look abundant. Home versions can be almost all bread and tomato when that is what is in the kitchen. Both sit on the same older habit: do not throw away the loaf.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Fattoush take?
28 min all in — 20 min prep, 8 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Mixing bowl.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ¾ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Pita → Any stale flatbread. Fry it. Soft bread disappears.
Any tips from this recipe?
Pomegranate seeds on top if you have them. No molasses: more lemon and a pinch of sugar. Different sour.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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