Tabbouleh comes from the mountains of Lebanon and Syria, and in Lebanon it’s considered something of a national salad. Order it there and you get a green plate: parsley is the star, finely chopped, never minced. Bulgur, tomato and onion are added only in small amounts. Many people in Germany know tabbouleh as a bulgur salad with a few herbs – the original is exactly the other way round. In Lebanese kitchens the parsley is chopped by hand with a knife rather than in a blender, so it doesn’t go mushy.
How we serve tabbouleh
At Dunya in Mannheim our tabbouleh is made from finely chopped parsley and tender bulgur, with juicy diced tomatoes, onions and fresh mint. It’s dressed with cold-pressed olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and topped with ruby-red pomegranate seeds.
It’s served on crisp romaine leaves. They’re not just for decoration: in Lebanon, you take a leaf, spoon some tabbouleh onto it and eat it with your hands.
What goes with tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is light and zesty, so it freshens up anything heavy. It goes with falafel, with kibbeh and with dips like hummus and muhammara. The regular portion is easy to share.
With grilled food, tabbouleh is the classic side – with the tikka skewer, the Dunya kebab or the Dunya Grill Platter. For one person, the small tabbouleh is often enough.
For buffets and parties
Tabbouleh belongs on almost every Arabic buffet. For family celebrations, weddings and company dinners, we deliver salads and mezze as catering within about 70 km of Mannheim.
