Falafel

Falafel

Falafel balls
Origin
Region or state	Believed to have originated in Egypt before spreading north to the Levant
Dish details
Course served	Street food
Serving temperature	Hot, served alone or in a pita
Main ingredient(s)	Fava beans or chickpeas
Variations	many

Falafel (pronounced /fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل‎ falāfil) is a fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flat bread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a mezze.

Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, where the dish is widely known as طعمية (ta'amiya), falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. The Copts of Egypt claim to have first made the dish as a replacement for meat during Lent. The hearty fritters are now found around the world as a replacement for meat and as a form of street food.

The Israeli appropriation of falafel as a "national snack" has caused resentment among Palestinians and in parts of the Arab world who see the dish as authentically Arab.^[1]

Etymology

The Arabic word فلافل (falāfil) is the plural of فلفل (filfil) 'hot pepper', probably from the Sanskrit word पिप्पल pippalī 'long pepper'.^[2][3][4] The word has now spread to the European languages, Hebrew, and the rest of the world.

The word falafel can now refer to the fritters themselves or to sandwiches filled with them.^[5]

History

Falafel stacked around the hot oil where it is fried

The origin of falafel is unknown and controversial.^[5] A common theory is that the dish originates in Egypt,^[6] possibly eaten by Copts as a replacement for meat during Lent.^[7][8] Alexandria being a port city made it possible to export the dish and name to other areas in the Middle East.^[9] Some authors even claim it dates to the pharaonic period.^[10] The dish later migrated northwards to the Levant, where chickpeas replaced the fava.^[11][12] It has been theorized to a lesser extent that falafel has origins in the Indian subcontinent where it and other chickpea-based dishes are also popular.^[6][13] In recent years, the falafel debates have sometimes devolved into political discussions about the relationship between Arabs and Israelis.^[11]

Falafel grew to become a common form of street food or fast food in the Middle East.^[14] During Ramadan, falafel balls are sometimes eaten as part of the iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset.^[15] Falafel became so popular that McDonald's began to serve a "McFalafel" in some countries.^[16]

Historically falafel was never specifically a Jewish dish, nevertheless it is designated kosher-parve^[5] and it was eaten also by Mizrahi Jews in countries like Egypt and Syria.^[11][5] Later, it was adopted by early Jewish immigrants to Palestine.^[17] It was in Israel that falafel was first eaten in pita bread and filled with salads.^[6][18] Falafel has now become an iconic part of Israeli cuisine and is often considered a national dish.^[17] The love of falafel crosses the ethnic and religious community boundaries of Israel's diverse society.^[5] This has led to resentment by Palestinians and assertions of copyright infringement by the Lebanese Industrialists' Association.^[12][19] Lebanon and Israel have been engaged in an escalating gastronomic battle, sometimes referred to as a food fight, where falafel, hummus and tabbouleh are being used as ammunition.^[20] On May 9 2010 in Beirut, more than 300 Lebanese chefs prepared 5,173 kilograms (11,400 lb) falafel mixture, Guinness Book of World Records representative was present to record the feat.^[21] On May 21 2010 an Israeli chef in New York had set a world record for the largest falafel ball, weighing in at 10.9 kilograms (24 lb) and with a circumference of more than a meter (3.3 ft). It was reported the ball is expected to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.^[22]

Israelis were the first to spread falafel to Europe and the United States, sometime in the 1970s.^[6] Today, falafel is eaten all over the world.^[23] It is popular among vegetarians, and prepackaged mixes are sold in health-food and grocery stores.^[24] These days falafel-inspired burgers made of chickpea are eaten as a kind of veggie burger.^[25]

Variations

Falafel sandwich.

Falafel is made from fava beans or chickpeas or a combination of the two. The Egyptian variety uses fava beans, while the use of chickpeas is predominant in other Middle Eastern countries.^[26] Being derived from the Arabic word for nourishment, falafel is known as Arabic: طعمية‎ (pronounced /ta'miyya/)) in most of Egypt.^[15][27] Palestinians and Yemenite Jews in Jerusalem have historically prepared falafel only from chickpeas.^[28][29] The beans are not cooked prior to use. Instead they are soaked with baking soda, then ground together with various ingredients including onion, parsley, sesame seeds, and spices such as cumin and coriander. The mixture is shaped into balls or patties. This can be done by hand or with a tool called an aleb falafel.^[27][26] The mixture is then deep fried.

Egyptian falafel is usually made from fava beans, although it may also be made from garbanzo beans, and is often quite spicy. Typically garlic, scallions, leeks and onions are part of the mixture as well as pepper. The Alexandria version uses generous quantities of cayenne pepper. Egyptian Falafel is normally served on a whole wheat pita bread with salad and tahini sauce or a parsley-tahini sauce called bakdooniseya.^[30][31]

In Arab countries a round khubz, 'eish' in Egypt, is halved and used to create a cigar-shaped wrap. In Arab countries, hummus is rarely added to falafel. Tahini thinned with water and lemon is more common. In Lebanon, the popular salad called tabbouleh could be eaten alongside falafel and many other dishes, because it is also a part of the meze. Pickled cucumber or chilies, turnip (colored pink with beetroot), and raw onion are common falafel accompaniments. Sumac is very commonly used with falafel in Syria.^[32] In Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, French fries may be added to the sandwich.^[32][33]

Nutrition

When made with chickpeas, falafel is high in protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber.^[34] Chickpeas are also low in fat, cholesterol, and salt. Key nutrients are calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, Vitamin C, thiamine, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B, and folate. Phytochemicals include beta-carotine.^[35]

Falafel is hearty enough to replace hamburger patties and meatballs in vegetarian dishes.^[24] Falafel can be baked to reduce the fat content associated with frying, but doing so will alter the texture and flavor.^[34][36]

See also

References