Tabouli Salad, Tabbouleh Salad

One of my Summertime favorites

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

I grew eating cusine influenced by my Portuguese/Irish ancestors. Tabouli was not on our menu.

I first had tabouli at my Armenian friend’s house. I was hooked! The refreshing parsley and mint, ever so finely chopped. The bulgur wheat, olive oil and lemon juice, with some crunch from cucumbers and onions. No tomatoes in this Armenian version, though.

My Moroccan friends added some preserved lemon to the mix. My Italian friends added tomatoes, and used semolina instead of bulgur. Every version of this dish delights my tastebuds.

I usually only make tabouli in the summer months, when I can pick the fresh mint and parsley from my backyard garden, and get local cucumbers and tomatoes from the farmer’s market. The combination of flavors, along with no real cooking involved (except pouring boiling water over the bulgur), makes tabouli one of my go-to recipes when the heat and humidity make it too hot to even think about heating up the kitchen.

Tabouli

I cup bulgur wheat (fine or medium). Bob’s Red Mill is a brand in the US

2 cups boiling water

2 bunches fresh parsley, finely chopped