Israeli salad
Chopped salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, and peppers.
Israeli salad—known in Hebrew as *salat yerakot yisra'eli* (Israeli vegetable salad)—is a finely chopped mixture of tomato, onion, cucumber, and bell or chili peppers. Often called the country's most iconic national dish, it appears alongside nearly every Israeli meal. Similar chopped salads, under various names, are common across the Eastern Mediterranean.
Inside Israel, the dish goes by several local names: *salat katzutz* (chopped salad), *salat aravi* (Arab salad), or simply *salat yerakot* (vegetable salad). The term "Israeli salad" is mainly used abroad. The salad typically includes raw tomato, onion, and cucumber, with optional additions like pepper, carrot, scallion, leafy greens, or parsley. Dressings vary: lemon juice, olive oil, or both are common; za'atar and yogurt appear at breakfast, while sumac and tahini are used later in the day. Cucumbers are usually left unpeeled. Among kibbutz cooks, the ability to dice tomatoes and cucumbers into the finest, most uniform cubes is a point of pride. Lettuce is traditionally absent.
In restaurants and cafes, Israeli salad is served as a side dish, alongside main courses, or stuffed into pita with falafel or shawarma. It was a staple of the traditional Israeli breakfast at home before Western cereals became popular, and it remains a standard feature at hotel buffets and in many households.
The salad’s history traces back to the late 19th century, when Jewish immigrants to Ottoman Palestine encountered a local cucumber-and-tomato salad. Food historian Gil Marks links this to the Turkish *çoban salatası* (shepherd’s salad). Because both European and Middle Eastern immigrants were familiar with cucumbers and tomatoes, the salad quickly entered their shared diet. The kibbutzim, with their abundant fresh produce, popularized it, and it spread throughout Israeli cuisine. In the 1940s, Kibbutz Beit Alfa developed a cucumber variety—named after the kibbutz—that became the standard for this salad.
Different Jewish communities added their own twists. Indian Jews include finely chopped ginger and green chili peppers; North African Jews add preserved lemon peel and cayenne; Bukharan Jews chop the vegetables extremely fine and use vinegar without oil. Notably, Israeli culinary journalist Gil Hovav told the BBC that the salad is actually a Palestinian Arab salad. Columbia University professor Joseph Massad agrees, ci
- field
- Cuisine
- nationality
- Israel
- known_for
- National dish of Israel; chopped salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, and peppers
- also_called
- salat katzutz, salat aravi, salat yerakot
Lore & Background
Israeli salad was adopted by Jewish immigrants to the Levant in the late 19th century, who found the locally grown Kirby cucumbers and tomatoes in popular local salad. It was popularized in the kibbutzim, where the Jewish farmers had local fresh produce at hand. The name 'Israeli Salad' is used mainly outside of Israel; within Israel it is commonly referred to as salat katzutz ('chopped salad'), as well as salat aravi ('Arab salad') or salat yerakot ('vegetable salad').
The salad is made of chopped raw tomato, onion and cucumber, and can also include pepper, carrot, scallion, leafy greens and parsley. It is dressed with either fresh lemon juice or olive oil, or both. Za'atar and yogurt are common dressings at breakfast, while sumac and tahini are common the rest of the day. The ability to chop the tomatoes and cucumbers into the 'finest, most perfect dice' is considered a mark of status among many kibbutz cooks.
Food historian Gil Marks describes how Jewish immigrants in the late 19th century first encountered the cucumber and tomato salad in then-Ottoman Palestine, and traces its presence there back to the Turkish çoban salatası (shepherd's salad). Variations on the basic recipe have been made by different Jewish communities: Jews from India add finely chopped ginger and green chili peppers, North African Jews may add preserved lemon peel and cayenne pepper, and Bukharan Jews chop the vegetables extremely finely and use vinegar without oil.
Reader's Guide
Israeli salad is significant as a widely recognized national dish of Israel, served as an independent side dish, an accompaniment to main dishes, or stuffed in pita with falafel or shawarma. It was a major part of the traditional Israeli breakfast at home before Western-style breakfast cereals became popular, and remains a standard feature at buffet breakfasts at Israeli hotels and in many homes. The dish's history reflects the agricultural and cultural development of the kibbutzim, where fresh local produce was abundant. However, its origins are disputed: Israeli culinary journalist Gil Hovav stated that the Israeli salad is in fact a Palestinian Arab salad, and Palestinian professor Joseph Massad agreed that what is known in New York delis as 'Israeli salad' stems from a Palestinian rural salad, citing it as an example of appropriation. Similar salads exist throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, including Persian salad shirazi, Turkish çoban salatası, and Indian kachumber.
Did You Know?
- Within Israel, the salad is commonly called salat katzutz ('chopped salad'), salat aravi ('Arab salad'), or salat yerakot ('vegetable salad').
- In the 1940s, Kibbutz Beit Alfa pioneered a variety of cucumber named after the kibbutz, which became the standard Israeli cucumber used in this salad.
- Food historian Gil Marks traces the salad back to the Turkish çoban salatası (shepherd's salad).
- Israeli culinary journalist Gil Hovav said the Israeli salad is in fact a Palestinian Arab salad.
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