What is a Biwaz Salad?
Biwaz is a Lebanese parsley and onion salad tossed with tangy ground sumac and bright lemon juice for a vibrant side dish or garnish for meals.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Parsley: Parsley adds freshness to the salad and compliments the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Onion: I prefer red onion, but you can use shallots or white onions.
- Sumac: Massage sumac into the onions as you do for sumac onions. Ground sumac berries are tart and sweet and provide bright color and flavor. Sumac is a popular Middle Eastern spice found online and in health stores. However, I recommend visiting local Middle Eastern stores to explore. If you don’t have any, use sweet paprika and add extra lemon juice.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice brightens the salad.
- Olive Oil: Since it is central to the dish, use quality extra-virgin olive oil.
- Salt: Taste and season the salad with salt.
Additions and Substitutions
- Add pomegranate molasses, a syrup made by reducing pomegranate juice.
- Include a pinch of ground Aleppo pepper for a bit of a kick.
How to Make Biwaz
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the ingredients to a serving bowl and massage to combine for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: Taste and season with ground sumac. Cover and set it aside for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
- If the raw onion flavor is too strong, soak the onions in cold water for 20 minutes to reduce the intensity. Drain the onions, pat them dry, and continue preparing the salad.
If you enjoy this recipe, pair it with one of these dinner favorites!
Serving Suggestions
Pair the fresh onion and parsley salad with grilled meat or kabobs such as shish taoouk, Adana kebab tarifi, beef shawarma, grilled tandoori chicken, or beef seekh kabob. Use the salad as a filling for wraps like tantuni or falafel gyro.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store the leftover salad in an airtight container 3-4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sumac?
Sumac (summāq) means dark red in Arabic, and the name refers to a spice common throughout the Middle East to finish meals like fattoush. It comes from sumac berries, which are dried and ground into a coarse red powder for culinary purposes.
What does sumac taste like?
Like fresh lemons, ground sumac is tart and slightly sweet, making it a perfect way to add acidity to any meal without citrus.
More Salad Recipes:
Biwaz
- 3 cups fresh leaf parsley, chopped
- ½ large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ground sumac
- lemon juice, 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the ingredients to a serving bowl and massage to combine for 2-3 minutes.
- Taste and season with ground sumac. Cover and set it aside for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- If the raw onion flavor is too strong, soak the onions in cold water for 20 minutes to reduce the intensity. Drain the onions, pat them dry, and continue preparing the salad.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.