Arab cooks favor cool salads in the hot and arid climate of Syria.
Salads of vegetables and herbs, such as mint, have the hallmarks of preparations that may have come throught the ages relatively unchanged. The Arabs knew of the cabbage in medieval times but were not responsible for its diffusion in Europe. In the Middle Ages, cabbage was the most common vegetable and many vegetables were preserved in salt. But, contrary to the way the recipe reads, this salad is not at all salty. This recipe was given to me by George Salloum, who is originally from Homs in Syria.