Tabbouleh

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallyGlutenBulgur (cracked wheat) is in the standard recipe. Some versions use couscous.
• SometimesSulphitesBottled lemon juice, used by some kitchens, often has sulphite preservatives.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Usually vegan: herbs, vegetables, bulgur, lemon and olive oil.
• Not gluten-free as standard. Quinoa versions exist; ask how the kitchen keeps it apart.
• Low in grain compared with Western versions: the Lebanese salad is mostly parsley.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is tabbouleh?

Tabbouleh is a fresh, sharp herb salad, mostly flat-leaf parsley, chopped very fine and mixed with tomato, mint, spring onion and a small amount of soaked bulgur wheat. It's dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. In Lebanon it's a fixture of the mezze table and is often scooped up with lettuce or cabbage leaves.

What's in it

The core: parsley, mint, tomato, spring onion or white onion, fine bulgur, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Some cooks add a pinch of allspice or seven-spice, or cucumber.

Proportions matter. A Lebanese tabbouleh is green, with the bulgur barely visible. Many Western delis and supermarkets flip the ratio and serve something closer to a grain salad, sometimes made with couscous, which is also wheat.

Relatives you'll see nearby:

• Kısır (Turkey): bulgur-heavy, with tomato and pepper paste, pomegranate molasses and herbs.
• Eetch (Armenia): warm or room-temperature bulgur with tomato.
• Fattoush: a different Lebanese salad with toasted bread, so wheat again.

Allergens and diets

Gluten is the main allergen. Bulgur is wheat that's been parboiled, dried and cracked, so even a small amount means tabbouleh isn't suitable for coeliac (celiac) diners. Some modern restaurants make a quinoa version and label it gluten-free. If you need that, ask whether it's prepared on the same board and with the same bowls as the bulgur version.

Beyond that, the ingredient list is short. Kitchens that use bottled lemon juice rather than fresh may add sulphites, since many bottled juices carry them as a preservative. If you react to sulphites, ask for fresh lemon.

There's no dairy, egg or nut in the standard salad, but it's often served on a shared mezze platter next to hummus, kibbeh and bread. If your allergy is severe, ask for your portion plated separately.

On the menu

In Arabic look for تبولة (tabbūla). It sits under salads (سلطات, salaṭāt) or cold mezze (مازة, māza). In Turkey, kısır is the closer everyday dish; tabbouleh itself appears mostly in Lebanese restaurants.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.