Fattoush: The Only Way

## The Problem With Most Fattoush

Fattoush should be crisp, acidic, and bright. Most versions are soggy bread floating in a puddle of sumac-tinted liquid. The problem is always the same: people dress it too early, and the bread absorbs everything.

Jeddo's rule was simple: the bread goes on last, the dressing goes on at the table, and nobody waits.

## The Salad

This is not a recipe that needs measuring cups. It's a ratio and a feeling.

### Vegetables

• Romaine lettuce, torn into rough pieces (never chopped fine)


• Tomatoes — firm ones, cut in wedges (soft tomatoes ruin fattoush)


• Cucumbers — Persian or Lebanese, halved lengthwise, sliced thick


• Radishes — thinly sliced


• Green onions — sliced on the bias


• Fresh mint — whole leaves, not chopped


• Purslane (baqleh) — if you can find it, add generous handfuls

### The Bread

• One large Arabic flatbread, torn into rough squares


• Fried in olive oil until deep golden and crisp, OR baked at 200C until cracking


• Season with a pinch of sumac immediately after frying

### The Dressing

• Good olive oil (don't be shy)


• Fresh lemon juice (2 lemons minimum)


• Pomegranate molasses (1-2 tablespoons — this is the secret)


• Sumac (generous)


• Salt


• One small clove of garlic, crushed to a paste

Whisk the dressing. Toss the vegetables. Add the bread. Serve immediately.

## Jeddo's Notes

> "Fattoush waits for nobody. You sit down, it comes out. If someone is late, they eat it soggy. That's their problem."

> "Purslane is not optional. If you skip it, call it something else."

> "The bread must shatter when you bite it. If it bends, you failed."

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From Jeddo's kitchen to yours. No shortcuts, no compromises.