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Not sure if there is an proper name, had it in Israel but have seen it (or similar variations) in Moroccan restaurants (in the US). Comprised of primarily diced cucumbers and tomatoes, that have been seasoned.

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Can you remember any other specific ingredients that might differentiate it? – mfg Nov 2 '10 at 17:06
Aaronut got it, the problem is those were the primary ingredients, and apparently some simple seasoning. – Scott Markwell Nov 4 '10 at 15:26

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Not too surprisingly given where you found it, it's called an Israeli Salad in most parts of the world.

In Israel, it's just called a chopped salad or (according to the wiki article - I never personally encountered this) an Arab salad.

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Thanks, this is exactly what I was trying to figure out. And as Wikipedia points out, I did have it in an Israeli hotel. – Scott Markwell Nov 2 '10 at 23:20
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In Turkey it is referred to as Çoban salatası (pronounced 'choban'; shepherd's salad.)

Usually consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, salt, oil, lemon, and sometimes pomegranate juice.

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The description itself is the base for Fattoush, which has as many names as variations: alt text

I found one place that calls it "Jerusalem Salad" (theirs is served with tahini). Another restaurant has a variation that includes green bell peppers called "Lebanese Salad." (Click here for a bunch of pretty pictures)

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Unless this is a regional thing, I believe that fattoush is also made with fried or stale pieces of pita bread or other flatbread, which differentiates it from the plainer Israeli salad. – Aaronut♦ Nov 2 '10 at 16:52
@Aar Fattoush is served both with the pita chips tossed in the salad, or served on the side for scooping (as with any other Mediterranean dish like tabbouleh or hummus). – mfg Nov 2 '10 at 17:04
I'm afraid I'm not seeing the parallels; tabbouleh is technically a salad but hummus most certainly isn't, and although they may be served on or with pita, it's not an integral part of the dish as it is with fattoush. Now obviously I can't account for every regional difference and can't claim to have actually eaten these in, say, Lebanon, I'm just pointing out that traditional preparation of fattoush involves a good deal more than just cucumbers and tomatoes. – Aaronut♦ Nov 2 '10 at 17:24
@Aar that's what the comma was for. I separated the two clauses; if there had been no comma the parentheses would have applied to both preparations. I feel bad though, and it may just be too regionalized a preparation and I just don't know it. – mfg Nov 2 '10 at 17:33
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Probably not in Israel, but there is an Iranian recipe called Salad-e Shirazi. It contains chopped tomato, cucumber, onion, lime juice, olive oil, fresh mint, salt and pepper.

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up vote 1 down vote

In Australia, I think it's just called Greek Salad.

It has Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, Olives & Fetta Cheese + Olive Oil + some lemon Juice and so on..

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Greek Salad does have tomatoes and cucumber but generally not diced, and the inclusion of olives, feta cheese, and sliced onions makes it very different from Israeli salad. Not to mention that Greek salad usually has lettuce, which is conspicuously absent from Israeli salad, even the less "authentic" versions. – Aaronut♦ Nov 2 '10 at 2:31
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It's also conspicuously absent from real greek salad; check out some of the better places on the Danforth. – daniel Nov 2 '10 at 2:44
@daniel: This is true, however, as this question concerns North America, the most common preparation of a "Greek" salad does contain lettuce. – Aaronut♦ Nov 2 '10 at 14:24
@Aar I've had both Greek salads served wrapped in lettuce (authentic a la P.F. Chang?), as well as served 'open-faced' (their name) where the fattoush was placed on not a bed of lettuce, but rather two crossed leaves of romaine (U.S.) – mfg Nov 2 '10 at 16:07

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