Fatoush

Origin: It began with broken bread. Yesterday’s flatbread, fried golden or kissed by flame, tossed with what the garden offered that morning — tomatoes, cucumber, mint, onion, a squeeze of lemon, a whisper of sumac.

Nothing wasted, everything revived.

In the Levant, they called it fatteh — to crumble, to break, to begin again. A salad born of resourcefulness, not wealth. A way to make beauty from what remained.

Each bowl is a small act of resurrection: crisp and soft, bright and grounded, sour and green.

A lesson passed quietly through generations — that even what’s gone stale can still feed the living.

Ingredients

• 2 pita breads, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for toasting
• 1 tsp sumac, for dusting
• Salad Base
• 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup cucumber, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 radish, thinly sliced
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• Dressing
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• Salt + pepper, to taste
• Optional: splash of pomegranate molasses for magic

How The Alchemy Happens

Toss pita with olive oil and a pinch of sumac. Toast in oven at 375°F (190°C) until crisp and golden.

In a large bowl, combine all vegetables and herbs.

Shake dressing ingredients together in a jar until emulsified.

Toss salad with dressing, then fold in pita chips just before serving.

Let some get soggy. Let some stay crunchy. That’s the poetry of it.