Piyaz, 10-Minute Turkish White Bean Salad

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10-Minute Turkish White Bean Salad, or Piyaz, is a popular side dish in Turkish cuisine. A delicious white bean salad made bursting with Mediterranean flavors. This salad is sweet and tangy from the sumac and red wine vinegar. Top with fresh herbs and a sprinkle of lemon for a fresh Mediterranean taste!

What is Turkish White Bean Salad?

Piyaz, also known as Turkish white bean salad or Mediterranean white bean salad, is an easy and flavorful salad originating from Turkey. This salad has white beans, red onions, tomatoes, and parsley. The dressing is tangy from the red vinegar and olive oil base.

While there are many variations, the salad is generally the same thorughout Turkey, except for the city of Antalya. Their version is famous for using tahini dressing and topping the salad with hard-boiled egg wedges. I have also included that dressing as well in this blog post.

Why I Love This Salad

It is no secret that I love Lebanese and Mediterranean food, and my blog is filled with tons of recipes from the region. While I had always loved the region's foods, I was unfamiliar with Turkish food.

However, that all changed in 2003. I quit my job, laced up my sneakers, and set out to see the world. I spent most of my time in Europe, Asia, and a touch of the Middle East. Of all the places I traveled to, Turkey was my favorite. I spent five weeks there and often wished I could live there. The people are warm, and so is their culture.

The food surprised me; I thought it would be close to Lebanese or Greek. Instead, I found an entirely new palate of flavors and combinations. The ingredients are simple, but the techniques used bring out the best of each ingredient. One of my favorite dishes was piyaz, a white bean side dish made using simple ingredients and bursting with flavor.

Jump to:

• What is Turkish White Bean Salad?
• What I Love About This Salad
• Overview of the Salad
• Ingredients
• Making the Salad Instructions
• Different Methods to Prepare Dry Beans
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Recipe

What I Love About This Salad

• 10-minute Mediterranean bean salad made with fresh ingredients.
• All the ingredients are pantry staples
• This recipe works with vegan and gluten-free diets.

Overview of the Salad

Turkish bean salad, or piyaz (pronounced pee-AHZ), is a simple salad made with white beans, onions, tomatoes, and parsley, dressed with a tangy vinaigrette. It is a popular appetizer in Turkey and is often served as a side dish with bread and grilled meat or fish.

If you plan on making a Mediterranean mezze platter, include Lebanese falafel, tabule, hummus, batata harra, vermicelli rice, Turkish pide bread, and piyaz. All of these recipes will create a Mediterranean mezze.

Ingredients

• White beans - Piyaz is typically made with white navy beans. However, you can use the white bean you prefer, such as cannellini beans, great northern beans, or butter beans.
• Onion - I prefer red onion, but you can also use a yellow or white onion. The onion is traditionally sliced thin; you will need a sharp knife to achieve this.
• Tomatoes - Look for firm small to medium-sized tomatoes. Roma and cherry tomatoes also taste great with this salad. When choosing a tomato, consider if:
  • Will you eat the salad within four hours? If so, use the tomato of your preference.
  • Are you making the salad more than four hours before eating it? If the answer is yes, consider using cherry or grape tomatoes that have not been cut or removing the seeds from the tomatoes. These steps will ensure your salad does not turn watery. If your salad is watery, place it in a colander in your sink and let the water drain. Then touch it up with a spritz of lemon.
• Fresh parsley leaves, This recipe is typically made with flat-leaf parsley. You can use the curly leaf parsley as well.
• Extra Virgin Olive oil - Is there any other option?
• Red wine vinegar -Traditional piyaz is made with grape vinegar. Because this is an unusual ingredient that is probably only used in a few recipes, I recommend making this salad with red wine vinegar instead.
• Lemon juice - Always use fresh lemon juice. Save the other half and cut it into lemon wedges for garnishment.
• Garlic Clove - Mince for that particular "bite" of flavor only garlic gives.
• Salt and pepper - Use a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper to your desired taste. I recommend kosher or sea salt; you can also use ordinary table salt.
• Sumac -A sprinkle of Sumac is optional. Other spices often added include Allepo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. For a fresh and tangy taste, omit spice altogether.

Not sure which bean to use? Check out this detailed guide on beans

Making the Salad Instructions

Step One: Onions -

Place the onion slices in a small bowl with lemon and sumac. Massage the onions for 20 - 30 seconds. Then add ¼ cup of red wine vinegar. Set aside for ten minutes.

Step Two: Salad -

Combine the white beans, tomatoes, and fresh parsley leaves in a medium bowl.

Step Three: Combine -

Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the onion mixture. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and toss everything together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marry the flavors. Piyaz can be served cold or at room temperature. Before serving, stir the salad well and give a fresh sprinkle of lemon.

Antalya Piyaz

Antalya, a coastal city in southern Turkey, is famous for its twist on Piyaz. To make their version, follow steps one and two above as written. Step three mix together:

• Tahini - ¼ cup
• Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
• Garlic - One clove, minced
• Lemon - Fresh juice of one small lemon

Once mixed, add the onion mixture and stir to combine. Follow step four as written. Top with a hard-boiled egg that has been cut into wedges.

Check out some of my other international flavors

• Easy Greek Cucumber Salad
• Quick Oven Roasted Tomatoes
• Afghan Kidney Bean Curry (Lubya)
• Authentic Turkish Pide Bread Recipe
• 10 Best Harissa Paste Substitutes
• Essential Middle Eastern Spice Guide

Different Methods to Prepare Dry Beans

The recipe above uses canned beans. I prefer those because they are quick and easy. However, if you prefer dry beans, you can use one of these methods to prepare the beans from scratch. Remember, the salad is cold, so you will want the beans to be at least room temperature before serving.

Note: The general ratio is 1 cup of dried beans equals 3 cups of cooked beans.

Method	Description	Time
Pressure Cooking	Step One: Sort and Rinse the Beans - Pick through the dry beans and remove any small stones, debris, or damaged beans. Rinse them under running water. Step Two: Add Water - Transfer the sorted and rinsed beans to a large bowl. Add a minimum of four cups of water and cover the beans by at least two inches. Step Three: Seal and Cook -Close the lid and set the valve to "Sealing." Select the "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" button, and set the cooking time to 25 - 35 minutes on high pressure. Once the cooking time is up, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 15-20 minutes. When the beans are done, drain immediately. Step Four: Additional Time -The cook time can vary by instant pots. If your beans are not tender, cook for an additional 10 minutes.	25 - 35 minutes under high pressure.
Slow Cooker	Step One: Sort and Rinse the Beans -Pick through the dry beans and remove any small stones, debris, or damaged beans. Rinse them under running water. Step Two: Cook - Set your crockpot to low and let the beans simmer for 3 to 6 hours.
Hot Soaking	Step One: Sort and Rinse the Beans - Pick through the dry beans and remove any small stones, debris, or damaged beans. Rinse them under running water. Step Two: Add Water and Boil - Add 10 cups of water for each pound (2 cups) of dry beans in a large or stock pot. Boil the beans for 2–3 minutes. Step Three: Hot Soak - Remove from heat and soak with the lid on the pot for up to 4 hours.	4 hours
Quick Soaking	Step One: Sort and Rinse the Beans - Pick through the dry beans and remove any small stones, debris, or damaged beans. Rinse them under running water. Step Two: Add Water and Boil - Place the beans in a pot and add 6 cups of water for each pound (2 cups). Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, let the beans cook for 2-3 minutes. After 2-3 minutes of boiling, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for one hour. Step Three: Drain and Rinse the Beans - After an hour, drain the water and rinse the beans well under running water.	1.5 hours
Overnight Soaking	Step One: Sort and Rinse the Beans - Pick through the dry beans and remove any small stones, debris, or damaged beans. Rinse them under running water. Step Two: Add Water - Transfer the sorted and rinsed beans to a large bowl. For every pound of beans (2 cups), add 10 cups of cold water. Step Three: Soak the Beans - Soak the beans for at least 8 - 12 hours or overnight. Once the beans have finished soaking, drain off the water and rinse them well under running water.	8 - 12 hours

Adding Extra Toppings (Optional)

Some variations of Turkish bean salad may include additional ingredients such as hard-boiled eggs, green peppers, or black olives. I go outside the norm and top it with kalamata olives and green onions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe