Tabbouleh Provokes Debate Among Experts

October 25, 1995|By Anne Marie Weiss-Armush, Universal Press Syndicate.

Tabbouleh, the unique salad of fresh parsley, bulgur wheat and green onions, is one of the most familiar Arab dishes in the United States.

It's gaining ground on Middle Eastern and natural foods menus and even in supermarket salad bars.

Having enjoyed tabbouleh for years in the homes of Syrian and Lebanese friends, as well as across the Arab world, I was curious to learn the secret of perfect tabbouleh from experts.

Not surprisingly, the varying opinions reflect the character of the Middle East itself, in that each person considers himself or herself to be the sole custodian of cultural heritage. And each is certain his or hers is the one, the only authentic tabbouleh. It's a lot like Americans and potato salad.

"The secret is to add a handful of fresh chopped mint," confides Joumana Bendak, who arrived from Lebanon as a young bride three years ago.

Yousef Sukkar, the Syrian owner of Worldwide Food in Dallas, says you must soak the "burghol wheat in fresh lemon juice, along with dried red pepper from Aleppo." Burghol is the common name for bulgur in Middle Eastern stores and restaurants.

Sukkar is such a tabbouleh enthusiast that he won't let me taste the prepared salad in his deli's cooler. Instead, he pulls out fresh ingredients to make a new batch. Then he adds: "It will taste even better tomorrow, when the flavors have blended."

Well, maybe.

"Never wait! You must eat it immediately after you prepare it!" protests Suzanne Tasabahji, also from Syria.

"Let it sit for exactly half an hour before you eat it, and be sure it contains an abundance of tomatoes," says Aida Tabarra, from Beirut.

Bilal Itani, a Lebanese who taught his American wife the traditional way of preparing the dish, disagrees. "Too many tomatoes will unbalance the flavor," he says.

Sukkar says, "When we Syrians invite Lebanese over, they always make a joke about the scarcity of tomatoes, saying 'What's going on? Are tomatoes too expensive?' So we add some more just to please our guests."

It is clear that each cook follows techniques and recipes passed down for generations.

But the principal ingredients of this Syrian/Lebanese staple remain unchallenged. A perfect tabbouleh must include fluffy morsels of bulgur wheat tossed in a penetrating minty lemon dressing with bits of juicy ripe tomatoes and finely minced parsley.

Mincing words over parsley

In the Middle East, the parsley is a flat-leafed variety like that found in some finer supermarkets. Usually labeled Italian parsley, it is especially tender and has an intense fresh flavor and aroma. Because it can be expensive and difficult to find, authorities usually substitute the American curly-leafed parsley.

Mincing the parsley into the desired 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch particles used to take a long time. Consequently, in the more elegant areas of Damascus and Beirut and in the wealthy cities of Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf states, supermarkets stock bags of finely minced fresh Italian parsley.

But American parsley offers one distinct advantage over the traditional type: Its tougher leaves can be minced--with care--in the food processor.

"My mother and my mother-in-law are horrified at the thought of trading their heavy cutting boards and mincing blades for a machine," Bendak says. "But the truth is that nobody will notice the difference."

"Unless they get a piece of machine-chopped parsley stuck in their teeth because it's too big!" rebuts Itani, a friend of Bendak's husband's.

To mince the parsley in the food processor, wash and dry it carefully. Pinch off the bunches of green leaves, leaving the stiff branches on the stem. Fill the bowl of your machine lightly with the leaves, and briefly pulse. Instead of packing in a large quantity of parsley, it is better to repeat this step two or three times until all the parsley is minced.

Unless you have conscientiously removed every bit of stem before processing, a few noticeable lengths will remain. Remove these, and your guests will never know that the parsley isn't hand-chopped.

The bulgur facts

The bulgur wheat used in tabbouleh is an earthy home product that has been boiled until it is about to crack open, then set out to dry on sheets in the hot Mediterranean sun.

Bulgur is found at ethnic groceries, either in large self-service barrels or in packages prepared by the grocer. "For tabbouleh, use only grains labeled No. 1, the smallest size," Sukkar says. "This size grain needs to be softened in liquid but does not require cooking."

Never substitute cracked wheat, which is an uncooked and dissimilar grain. Similarly, avoid the bags and boxes labeled "tabbouleh mix" in some supermarkets; they contain irregularly sized bits of bulgur and a few flecks of dried parsley. Some of the larger grains won't absorb enough liquid and remain crunchy enough to break a tooth.

I enjoy a touch of garlic and Mideastern red pepper in this salad. Some Middle Eastern cooks add a large pinch of allspice or cumin, but I find those overpower the fresh flavor.

How much of what?