This bright and colorful Cucumber Tomato Salad is a dish that you’ll find all over the Middle East. While I learned about this salad in Israel where they call it vegetable salad or Arabic Salad, it’s important to note that it is a dish adopted from the surrounding regions. For some reason, however, I have seen people in the United States call it Israeli Salad.
In Afghanistan it’s called “salata,” in Turkey and Azerbaijan it’s called “çoban salata,” in Bulgaria it’s called “shepherds salad,” in Syria it’s sometimes called “Armenian salad,” in Iraq it’s called “Iraqui salad,” in India it’s called “kachumbar salad,” in Libya it’s called “sharmoula,” and in Kuwait it’s called “daily salat.” You will also find it in Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Morroco, Jordan, Moldova, Tunisia, North Africa, and so many other places.
This salad is really similar to Shirazi salad with key differences. The size of the diced vegetables in this salad is slightly bigger and you’ll also note the absence of any mint which is an optional addition to a Shirazi salad. Shirazi salad is also sometimes made with sour grape juice (ab gooreh) or lime juice instead of lemon juice.
You’ll find versions of this reflected in many different countries and cuisines in that part of the world. Each cuisine may have slight variations but the staple ingredients are the same. I’m showing you how you can quickly and easily make this delicious salad at home and serve it with all of your favorite main meals.
🌟Why you’ll love this recipe
🧾Ingredients in this recipe
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳How to Make This Recipe
Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad
Print Recipe SaveIngredients
- 1 lb Persian cucumbers
- 1 lb Roma tomatoes
- ⅓ lb. red onion finely diced
- 1.5 oz. parsley fresh, minced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- ¼ tsp salt plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp pepper plus more to taste
Instructions
- Cut each cucumber into quarters lengthwise. Then dice into 1/2-inch chunks.
- Dice the tomato into pieces that are the same size as the cucumber chunks.
- Add the diced cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a serving bowl.
- Mix well, taste test, and adjust for salt, pepper, and lemon.