Tabbouleh - A Classic Levantine Salad

Tabbouleh is a salad with Lebanese origins made with bulgur wheat, parsley, onions, tomatoes, olive oil, and lemon juice. It is healthy, super-green and sure to burst your senses and enliven the spirit.

Growing up in Lebanon, I have a strong connection to this dish. I remember as child it was my job to go out into the field and pick the parsley and the fruits of our labour was the most incredible Tabbouleh made with pure motherly love.

Fresh greens and fresh lemon are vital to make this salad come to life. Picked fresh from the garden is ideal.

The reason for this is not only taste. When food is fresh from the garden it has a high potency in prana or universal vital energy. Prana is the Sanskrit word for energy or life force and it is present in any whole plant food when it is growing.  As soon as you pick it, it starts to lose the prana as it begins the natural process of decay.

Yogis believe that the more prana can flow freely through your body’s channels the more vibrant, resilient, and conscious you’ll be.

When I prepare Tabbouleh, I feel my mothers love and the fond memories of her making it, I carry that love into the dish and pass it on to the people I am making it for. When food is prepared with love and good intention it increases the prana. I am also conscious of the environment the food is consumed in, a relaxed calm environment is important as is blessing the food and being grateful.

This recipe includes bulgar wheat, but if you are gluten intolerant, omit the bulgar altogether or replace with Quinoa.

Bulgar is wheat that is pre-boiled, dried and sorted. It has the nutty flavour, with a similar chewy texture and an appealing popcorn scent when it cooks. Because it’s parboiled, or partially cooked, bulgur can be prepared relatively quickly — much quicker than many other whole grains.

Now for my mother Ronda Baddour’s famous Tabouleh recipe

Tabbouleh is a salad with Lebanese origins made with bulgur wheat, parsley, onions, tomatoes, olive oil, and lemon juice. It is healthy, super-green and sure to burst your senses and enliven the spirit.

Growing up in Lebanon, I have a strong connection to this dish. I remember as child it was my job to go out into the field and pick the parsley and the fruits of our labour was the most incredible Tabbouleh made with pure motherly love.

Fresh greens and fresh lemon are vital to make this salad come to life. Picked fresh from the garden is ideal.

The reason for this is not only taste. When food is fresh from the garden it has a high potency in prana or universal vital energy. Prana is the Sanskrit word for energy or life force and it is present in any whole plant food when it is growing.  As soon as you pick it, it starts to lose the prana as it begins the natural process of decay.

Yogis believe that the more prana can flow freely through your body’s channels the more vibrant, resilient, and conscious you’ll be.

When I prepare Tabbouleh, I feel my mothers love and the fond memories of her making it, I carry that love into the dish and pass it on to the people I am making it for. When food is prepared with love and good intention it increases the prana. I am also conscious of the environment the food is consumed in, a relaxed calm environment is important as is blessing the food and being grateful.

This recipe includes bulgar wheat, but if you are gluten intolerant, omit the bulgar altogether or replace with Quinoa.

Bulgar is wheat that is pre-boiled, dried and sorted. It has the nutty flavour, with a similar chewy texture and an appealing popcorn scent when it cooks. Because it’s parboiled, or partially cooked, bulgur can be prepared relatively quickly — much quicker than many other whole grains.

Now for my mother Ronda Baddour’s famous Tabouleh recipe.