Quick Lift

Beautifully pink, tart, and salty lift (“lif-it”) is ubiquitous at the middle eastern table. It is wonderful served alongside falafel (chickpea fritters) or mujaddara (a Lebanese lentil-and-rice dish). My understanding is that traditional versions are fermented rather than pickled in vinegar—that is, the turnips are tossed with salt or submerged in a salt brine until bacteria have converted enough of the natural sugars in the turnips to lactic acid to make them sour and preser