Israeli salad is the crunchy, bright bowl of chopped vegetables that appears at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, often before you have even asked for it. It came together in the early days of the state, when cooks made the most of the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers growing in the new settlements. The secret is not the ingredients but the cutting: everything diced small and even, so every forkful is balanced.
A salad you can hear from across the table
The vegetables stay crisp because they are dressed at the last minute with lemon, olive oil, and salt, never drowned. Juicy tomatoes, cool cucumbers, and sharp red onion are brightened by parsley, and a few radishes add a peppery snap. Served with hummus and pita, or piled into a falafel sandwich, it is the fresh, clean counterpoint to everything rich on the table. It comes together in minutes and disappears just as fast, and a diced hard-boiled egg or crumbled feta on top makes it a full meal.
Craving more? Explore all Israeli Kitchen recipes.
Stocking a Middle Eastern pantry? Our guide to 20 essential Middle Eastern pantry ingredients covers everything this dish uses.
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