The Israeli Salad Debate (To Be Enjoyed All Year Round)
Consensus is not one of Israel’s strong points. For that matter, consensus is not a strong point of the Jewish people in general. We say every Jew has two synagogues: the one he agrees with and the one he disagrees with. Don’t like an answer a rabbi gives you? Go talk to another one. The highest Jewish law, the Torah, is open to interpretation by scholars; there is no supreme religious power such as the Pope who declares God’s definitive desires with ultimate authority. We are talking about a people, who at the very least, have more than one way to make an Israeli Salad.
What is agreed upon is that an Israeli Salad has cucumbers and tomatoes. Sure enough, these are also the principal ingredients in salat aravit, Arab salad. Who owns the claim to this tomato and cucumber salad is not clear. Is it an Israeli Salad or an Arab Salad?
No need to ask the U. N.; their answer would be far too predictable.
Honestly folks, (and I speak as one who worked on a documentary film inside a war zone in Israel), I think we are going to have to hand this one over to the Arabs. First of all, I have traveled all over Israel and the West Bank and, though the cuisines are similar in both lands, the Arabs are better cooks.
Oh come on! Let them at least have that.
Furthermore, historically speaking, tomatoes were not brought over to the Middle East until after the discovery of the New World in 1492. At that point, though Jews did live in the region, most had been exiled a millennium and half earlier by the Romans and had spread out across the world in what is known as the Diaspora.
Arabs, on the other hand, had grown significantly in size during the Middle Ages and it’s quite plausible that they were making far greater quantities of cucumber and tomato salad than the Jews were.
In case anyone is still paying attention, cucumbers, on the other hand are indigenous to India and were brought over to Europe through the conquest of the Greek and Roman Empires. (You will remember Alexander the Great took his army all the way to India before his soldiers complained and insisted on going back home. They did, by the way, encounter gurus in the forest while there.) The cucumber, like many other goodies brought over from the orient, was traded by merchants, most of whom were either Arab or Jewish. So the cucumber is neutral and cannot be the deciding factor in the Israeli/Arab Salad debate.
For the sake of clarity and because I have not heard anyone ever call such a salad anything else in English, I will continue with the common nomenclature Israeli Salad even if it is in fact a misnomer.
The Israeli salad can be made with a variety of additions such as onion, parsley, mint, peppers, and za’atar. I like mine. simple and yummy. I thank my Israeli girlfriends Daphna and Lushi for suggesting sumac to me. It is a lovely spice in this dish. The touch of dill also adds a special flare.
In the winter months, when tomatoes aren’t in season, use heirloom cherry tomatoes for a sweeter option. This salad pairs beautifully with meats and chicken, and leftovers are delicious the next day.
Enjoy and thank history for what you eat.
Ingredients:
For 4-6 people
3 firm large tomatoes, heirloom or vine-ripened, chopped finely to ¼ inch pieces *See note
5 Persian cucumbers, chopped finely to ¼ inch pieces
3 tablespoons finely chopped dill
1 teaspoon sumac
juice of one lemon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
pepper, if desired
½ cup olive oil
Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a bowl and stir. Let sit for a few minutes and pour out some of the watery juices that accumulate on the bottom. Add the olive oil, toss and taste. Adjust seasoning with more salt or lemon if necessary. Serve immediately or let it sit until you’re ready for it. .
Variation: Mix a couple of tablespoons of tahini into the salad for a creamier texture. Add a touch more lemon juice and salt. Top with some sprinklings of za’atar.
*Note: In the winter months, substitute tomatoes with 2 pints heirloom cherry tomatoes as they are sweet all year round.