Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a Levantine salad of finely chopped parsley, soaked bulgur, tomato, mint and onion, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper, with some preparations adding lettuce or substituting semolina for the bulgur; traditional versions emphasize herbs over grain, in contrast to some Western adaptations that reverse the ratio. The dish originates in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria and has since spread throughout the Middle East, with Lebanon's Beqaa Valley historically noted for cultivating wheat varieties well suited to bulgur production. Tabbouleh is traditionally served as part of a mezze spread in the eastern Mediterranean and the wider Arab world, functioning as an appetizer alongside dishes such as hummus and baba ghanoush, and it has become widely available internationally, including in supermarkets in the United States.