Once you learn about tabouli, it instantly gains a place in your salad recipe list. When we hear the term salad, we instantly think of the classic shaved carrots, cabbages, and green leaf lettuce salad doused with some aioli, creamy dressing, or simple vinaigrette. These are the basic constituents of salads eaten across the globe on millions of dinner tables.
I love the classic green salad and can’t remember a week I went without it. However, in recent times, I have begun to shake up how I enjoy my salad, introducing numerous textures, colors, and flavors. For me, it is just a way of enjoying the tastes different countries and regions can offer without leaving my city. I have come to love tabouli, and while it is safe for humans to eat, is it safe for dogs to have some?
Here is everything you need to know about tabouli for dogs.
What is tabouli?
Tabouli is a salad made with bulgur (a grain derived from wheat berries) and parsley, with some onions, lemon juice, mints, seasonings, and olive oil. It is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisines. Its origins are debated to be either Syria or Lebanon, but it is also commonly eaten in Palestine, Israel, Egypt, and beyond. Family and regional traditions heavily influence the constituents of these dishes.
To make tabouli, the bulgur is cooked until it is al dante. then it is combined with finely minced parsley, chopped firm tomatoes, diced onions, and minced mint leaves and dressed with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, salt, and a touch of cayenne pepper. The resulting taste is nutty, with a tangy kick and a hint of sweetness.
Can dogs eat tabouli?
Dogs can have half a bowl of tabouli without the onions occasionally. Tabouli contains lots of vegetables and spices that can benefit your dog in numerous ways, but moderation is key as its dressing also contains ingredients that can cause an upset or poisoning if consumed in large amounts, such as salt and pepper.
The onions used in this salad enhance the taste, but they are toxic to dogs in significant amounts. Onions contain N-propyl disulfide, which is a compound that depletes red blood cells, leading to anemia in dogs, which could be fatal. This is why you should remove every bit of onion from the tabouli before handing it over to your dog.
Cooked bulgur grain is safe for dogs and provides numerous benefits as it is packed with essential minerals and vitamins that uphold bodily function and fiber, which promotes regular bowel movement in dogs. However, if your dog is sensitive to gluten and grains, you may want to avoid feeding them bulgur.
Freshly cut parsley used in tabouli is a super plant and has a lot of goodies to offer your canine buddy. Besides tabouli, they could also be added to your dog’s regular meal twice to three times a week to unleash their health benefits.
Salt, if eaten in significant quantities, can lead to sodium poisoning in dogs. However, the amount of salt in tabouli is insufficient to cause sodium poisoning in dogs, but it is something you need to keep in mind if you intend to share your salad with your dog.
Is tabouli good for dogs?
Tabouli without onions is a nutrient-packed salad that can be good for your dog if they don’t have grain sensitivities. Tabouli is packed with lots of herbs, grains, olive oil, which is rich in monosaturated fats, and natural acids like lemon juice, which are beneficial to dogs in moderate amounts.
Personally, when I make some tabouli for my family, I also make a dog-customized version. In this dog-safe tabouli recipe, I certainly abolish onions and add some choy sum instead. For a safer dressing, I use some peanut butter like Kirkland Organic or any other dog-specific peanut butter, and it is always an exciting experience to watch my dog devour the Middle Eastern salad with so much tail wagging.
My Dog Ate Tabouli; what will happen?
If your dog ate a little tabouli with onions, they may not have had any issues. It takes a medium-to-large bulb of onions for toxicity to occur in a 25-kg dog, and if they haven’t consumed that amount yet, there is nothing to worry about, but it is best to avoid such a situation.
Final Thoughts
Dogs can have salads like tabouli, provided they aren’t creamed with some garlic dressing and don’t have onions as one of their constituents. Vegetables and herbs used in tabouli can offer an array of health benefits for dogs when fed to them in moderation.
