Shepherds Salad / Çoban Salata
Shepherd’s Salad is the go-to salad for people in Turkey. We pair Çoban Salata in Turkish with almost any meal you can think of. You can actually forget about pairing this salad and have it by itself dipping some fresh bread into its juices.
Where does the name Shepherd’s Salad come from?
I can hear Turks thinking why would anyone write about Shepherd’s Salad in a blog post. It is that common and basic for us. This salad is named after shepherds who go out walking after their herds all day in the fields. This salad has been their saver for ages. Easy to prepare and a feast to enjoy with slices of bread.
What is its differences with Greek Salad, Israel Salad and Shopska Salad?
There is not much difference between Turkish Shepherd’s Salad with neither the Greek Salad, Israel Salad or the Shopska Salad. Besides who really cares. I can hear many Turks saying “what is there to write about this salad, it is a very normal salad”. Perhaps because of this approach, this salad is not yet famous exclusively with the “Turkish Shepherd’s Salad” name.
What are the ingredients of Shepherd’s Salad?
This is a great mix of fresh, crunchy veggies! As in every salad picking fresh and healthy ingredients is crucial. If you are buying from a farmer’s market where you can choose, keep the following tips in mind.
Cucumbers: Cucumbers come in many different sizes, similar to tomatoes. Try to balance the number of cucumbers with tomatoes, they should be more or less the same amount. Cut the cucumbers into small pieces. Pick cucumbers that have a darker color. The cucumber should not be very fat — unless you like many seeds in it. Shapeless ones are less processed, so they will be better.
Tomatoes: You cannot make a Shepherd’s Salad without tomatoes. It would be great if you can find seasonal and ripe tomatoes. Chop them to match the size of the cucumbers. If you have the patience peeling the tomatoes will make your salad even more juicy.
Onion: Slice the onion as thin as possible. Red or white will work fine. Just make sure it is not frozen.
Parsley: Flat leaved, fresh and well chopped.
Sumac: makes a huge difference with its tangy flavor. It is not difficult to find as long as you look for it. If not available replace lemon with lime or grate some lemon zest and a pinch of red pepper flakes. If no red pepper flakes add a pinch of hot chilli powder.
Other must-have ingredients are salt, lemon, vinegar, extra virgin olive oil. Potential good matches: pomegranate molasses, white cheese, fresh chopped peppers, red pepper flakes, a crushed clove, dill, olives.
How to make Shepherd’s Salad?
- Often salads are prepared just before serving, this one can be or even should be prepared at least 15 minutes before serving. Once ready, allow it to rest in the fridge. This will allow time for all the yummy juices of the salad to combine with the dressing and make it more delicious.
- When you slice the onions sprinkle with salt and crush with your fingertips for a few minutes. This is called “killing the onions” in Turkish. Crushing onions with salt using your fingertips will turn the onions soft and they will easily bend and blend in the salad. While doing this if the onions leave out some of their juice discard it, it might be bitter. Some people rinse the salads, I prefer to go ahead and add the other ingredients as washing the salad makes it soggy.
- There is no real need to prepare the dressing in a separate bowl, just pour all the dressing ingredients on the salad and make sure to mix it well with a spoon without crushing the tomatoes.
- This is a recipe for the traditional and typical Shepherd’s Salad still made in villages around Turkey. However, you are free about garnishing it with olives and/or cheese or playing around with the dressing. But please just do not add lettuce or cooked beans into it, then it will be a different salad.
Read more about the recipe in my blog: https://www.quickandtastyfood.com/shepherd-salad-coban-salata/
