Piyaz is a traditional Turkish salad that can be found in eateries from Istanbul in the north to the Adana in the south. This classic dish is made from fresh ingredients such as white beans, onions, and tomatoes, and is paired with a zesty dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and sumac for a bright and flavorful burst of taste. Whether you choose to enjoy it as a side dish or top it with grilled chicken for a meal, Piyaz is sure to tantalize your taste buds and satisfy your appetite.
What is Piyaz?
Fasulye(beans) Piyazı(onion) often shortened to “piyaz” is a popular Turkish salad or meze/starter. And as you might have guessed from the name the dish mainly consists of beans and sliced onion. But often it will also include chunks of tomato and chopped parsley. All of which is tossed in a light lemon dressing and seasoned with tart sumac.
I know you’re going to love it because it’s an incredibly easy dish to make at home that utilizes simple ingredients. Plus it’s both healthy and delicious, the ultimate win-win in my book. With a refreshing flavor which makes it a great thing to pair with just about anything. But especially grilled meats, and vegetables.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Sumac: A good chunk of the flavor for today’s dish comes from sumac. Which if you’re unfamiliar with is a spice made from dried and ground-up berries. And it has an amazingly bright and tart flavor that unfortunately there is no substitute for. So please don’t skip it. Luckily you can find this spice more regularly these days, I get mine in the bulk spice section of my local Sprouts. But if you can’t find it at your local grocery store you can always purchase it online.
- Massage the onions: You could add all of the ingredients for this salad in a bowl and toss them together. But if you want your piyaz to be next level you’ll want to massage the onions first. Trust me it’s super easy and will help to soften the onions while also removing some of their pungency. To do it just add the sliced onions to the bowl with sumac and salt. Then use your hands to massage these ingredients together. And finally, let this set for 10 to 15 minutes to work its magic. That’s it!
- Let it rest: Another tip that results in a superior piyaz is to let it rest. So after you’ve tossed the salad together set it in your fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. This will not only chill the salad but more importantly give it enough time for the flavors to marry together.
- Storage: You can store this salad in the fridge for at least 3 days. And while you can leave it in the same bowl that you mixed it in I highly recommend that you pour it into a colander over the mixing bowl. This way any dressing and excess juice will prevent the salad from becoming soggy.
- Serving suggestions: This piyaz salad can serve as a starter or side dish to Turkish Chicken Kabobs or Kofta Kebabs along with some rice and flatbread. Or if you want a vegetarian meal you can serve it with Imam Bayilidi (Turkish Stuffed Eggplants).
Other Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy
Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad) Recipe
Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 Medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 Teaspoons of sumac, or more to taste
½ Teaspoon of salt, or more to taste
1 15oz. Can of cannellini beans, drained & washed
2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped & seeds/membrane removed
1 to 2 Tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Juice from 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Massage onions: Add the sliced onion to a medium sized mixing bowl along with the sumac and salt. Use your hands to massage the sumac and salt into the onions. Set them aside for 10 to 15 minutes so that the onions become slightly softened.
- Toss the salad: Add the remaining ingredients for the piyaz salad to the bowl. Use two spoons to give everything a good toss until incorporated.
- Let it rest (optional): Place the salad in your fridge for 1 to 2 hours so that the flavors can meld together.
- Serve the piyaz salad & enjoy!
Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad) Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Medium red onion thinly sliced
- 2 Teaspoons of sumac or more to taste
- ½ Teaspoon of salt or more to taste
- 1 15 oz. Can of cannellini beans drained & washed
- 2 Roma tomatoes roughly chopped & seeds/membrane removed
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- Black pepper to taste optional
Instructions
- Massage onions: Add the sliced onion to a medium sized mixing bowl along with the sumac and salt. Use your hands to massage the sumac and salt into the onions. Set them aside for 10 to 15 minutes so that the onions become slightly softened.
- Toss the salad: Add the remaining ingredients for the piyaz salad to the bowl. Use two spoons to give everything a good toss until incorporated.
- Let it rest (optional): Place the salad in your fridge for 1 to 2 hours so that the flavors can meld together.
- Serve the piyaz salad & enjoy!
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