Tabouli - or is it tabbouleh -always a big hit

So, how do you spell the name of the Middle Eastern salad made with bulgur or cracked wheat, parsley and tomatoes (among other ingredients): tabouli or tabbouleh -- or some other variation?

It makes no difference, says Monsignor George M. Sebaali, pastor of St. Anthony Maronite Church in Glen Allen, Va.

"What's important," Sebaali said with a smile, "is the recipe, not the spelling."

No matter how you spell it, tabouli is a staple among Lebanese families -- "It's not necessarily a special occasion dish," says Theresa Shibley, a kitchen coordinator for St. Anthony’s annual Lebanese Food Festival, "but all special occasions include tabouli" -- and one of the most popular dishes served at the festival. Volunteers start making tabouli fresh Friday at 6 a.m., the opening day of the three-day festival, and keep making batches until the event closes Sunday evening.

"We sell it so fast it doesn't have time to sit around," Shibley said.

How much tabouli do they prepare? They're not sure exactly, but Shibley said the church ordered 40 bushels of parsley and 30 cases of tomatoes this year just for the tabouli.

Like with spelling, there are a number of variations of tabouli.

"It depends on whose grandmother you ask," said Shibley.

Some cooks use only spring or green onions, while some also use sweet onions. Some soak the wheat in water, while others soak it in olive oil and lemon juice. Some like the tomatoes chopped in big chunks, while some prefer them reduced to tiny pieces. Some add cucumbers.

The version made by the volunteer cooks at St. Anthony's uses less wheat than other recipes, so it becomes predominantly a parsley-and-tomato dish.

"Ours is really made the way the families make it," said volunteer Rose Shaia.

On a recent morning, the church kitchen was alive with the jovial banter of volunteers and the rapid-fire chopping of parsley, onions and tomatoes. Tabouli isn't a complicated dish, but it requires a fair amount of preparation, starting with the parsley, which must be washed two, three or more times to rid it of all grit. Then you need to let it dry.

But the payoff is worth whatever time it takes. "It's very crisp and cool and refreshing," said Shibley. "In hot weather, it's one of the nicest salads you could have."

Bill Lohmann is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Tabouli recipe

1/8 cup fine bulgur

1 ¼ pound firm, ripe tomatoes, chopped

½ bunch spring onion, finely chopped

2 bunches fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 ½ ounces fresh mint, finely chopped

1 lemon, squeezed for juice

½ cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and soak bulgur until soft. Drain softened bulgur, and stir in tomatoes, onion, parsley and mint. Stir in lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Serve chilled -- with romaine lettuce, if desired.

Makes 4 generous servings.--Theresa Shibley