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.
10 Answers
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. Nov 2, 2010 at 23:20
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.
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.
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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2Greek 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.– AaronutNov 2, 2010 at 2:31
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3It's also conspicuously absent from real greek salad; check out some of the better places on the Danforth.– danielNov 2, 2010 at 2:44
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@daniel: This is true, however, as this question concerns North America, the most common preparation of a "Greek" salad does contain lettuce.– AaronutNov 2, 2010 at 14:24
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@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.)– mfgNov 2, 2010 at 16:07
The description itself is the base for Fattoush, which has as many names as variations:
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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2Unless 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.– AaronutNov 2, 2010 at 16:52
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@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).– mfgNov 2, 2010 at 17:04
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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.– AaronutNov 2, 2010 at 17:24
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@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.– mfgNov 2, 2010 at 17:33
Greek or Turkish shepherds salad is the most common name by folks who aren't Jewish in my area. As its a pan Mediterranean salad I suspect folks call it whatever region of that area they are closest to.
In Morocco, this is a very common salad, it's usually made from diced cucumbers, tomato, and parsley to which a vinaigrette is added, some people add finely chopped onions. Variations include mint, and the vinaigrette is sometimes made with salt, pepper and paprika or cumin also.
http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/saladsandsidedishes/r/moroccan_cucumber_tomato_salad.htm
In the U.S., I've heard it called Israeli Salad. When I was in Israel, the locals just called it "salad" (and they called lettuce-based salads "American salad"). It seems like a very basic standard salad found all over the Middle East with minor variations.