Falafel

Falafel (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; Template:Langx, ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin that features in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines. It is made from ground fava beans, chickpeas, or both, and mixed with herbs and spices before frying.

Falafel is often served in a flatbread such as pita, samoon, laffa, or taboon; falafel also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls may be 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 meze tray.

Falafel is a popular street food eaten throughout the Middle East. In Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula, it is most often made with fava beans, while in the Levant, it is typically made with chickpeas or sometimes a blend of both.

The adoption of the Palestinian chickpea version of falafel into Israeli cuisine and its identification as Israeli is contentious, and has led to accusations of cultural appropriation and gastronationalism.

Etymology

The word Template:Transliteration (Template:Langx) is Arabic and is the plural of Template:Transliteration () 'pepper', borrowed from Persian Template:Transliteration (), cognate with the Sanskrit word Template:Transliteration () 'long pepper'; or an earlier Template:Transliteration, from Aramaic Template:Transliteration 'small round thing, peppercorn', derived from palpēl 'to be round, roll'.

The name Template:Transliteration is used world-wide. In English (where it has been written falafel, felafel, filafel and filafil), it is first attested in 1936.

Falafel is known as Template:Transliteration (Template:Langx, ) in Egypt and Sudan. The word is derived from a diminutive form of the Arabic word Template:Transliteration (, 'food'); the particular form indicates a "unit" of the given root in this case Template:Transliteration (, having to do with taste and food), thus meaning 'a little piece of food' or 'small tasty thing'.

The word falafel can refer to the fritters themselves or to sandwiches filled with them.

History and distribution

A pita filled with vegetables and fritters on a plate

Falafel sandwich in pita

File:Falafel balls.jpg

Despite the frying process, the inside of a falafel remains soft.

File:Falafels frying in egypt.jpg

Egyptian falafel patties frying in oil

A man in a restaurant kitchen making fritters

Falafel being fried in Ramallah, Palestine

The origin of falafel is uncertain. The dish most likely originated in Egypt. It has been speculated that its history may go back to Pharaonic Egypt. However, the earliest written references to falafel from Egyptian sources date to the 19th century,Template:Sfn and oil was probably too expensive to use for deep frying in ancient Egypt.

As Alexandria is a port city, it was possible to export the dish and its name to other areas in the Middle East. The dish later migrated northwards to the Levant, where chickpeas replaced the fava beans, and from there spread to other parts of the Middle East.Template:Sfn

According to historian Gil Marks, the pita falafel sandwich was popularized after Israel's independence and in the 1950s by Jewish Yemeni immigrants. A 19 October 1939 The Palestine Post article is the first mention of the concept of falafels served in a pita bread as a street food.

Middle East

Falafel is a common form of street food or fast food in Egypt, across the Levant, and in the wider Middle East.Template:Sfn The croquettes are regularly eaten as part of meze. During Ramadan, falafel balls are sometimes eaten as part of the iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset. Falafel became so popular that McDonald's for a time served a "McFalafel" in its breakfast menu in Egypt.

Falafel is still popular in the Coptic diet, and as such large volumes are cooked during religious holidays.Template:Sfn Falafel is consumed as part of the Lenten diet by Arab Christians.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Chickpea-based falafel, common in many Levantine cuisines including Israeli and Palestinian, has become widely recognized as a national dish in Israel, where it is a popular street food.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Europe

Waves of migration of Arabs and Turks took falafel through Europe to Germany in particular, where a large Turkish population had put down roots. At first it was a dish consumed principally by migrants. During the early 1970s, the appearance of Turkish food stalls and restaurants made falafel available to the Germans, resulting in a transformation of the recipe.

North America

In North America, prior to the 1970s, falafel was found only in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Jewish neighborhoods and restaurants. Today, the dish is a common and popular street food in many cities throughout North America.

Vegetarianism

Falafel is popular with vegetarians worldwide.

Falafel became popular among vegetarians and vegans as an alternative to meat-based street foods. While traditionally thought of as being used to make veggie burgers, its use has expanded as more have adopted it as a source of protein. Falafel is used as a meat substitute in some vegetarian recipes for meatloaf, sloppy joes and spaghetti and meatballs.

Preparation and variations

Falafel is made from fava beans, chickpeas, or a combination of both.Template:Sfn In Egypt, it is typically prepared with fava beans. In Israeli and Palestinian cuisine, chickpeas are commonly used,Template:Sfn while in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the wider Middle East, either chickpeas or a mix of both are used.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The chickpea-based version is the most popular in the West.Template:Sfn

When chickpeas are used, they are not cooked prior to use (cooking the chickpeas will cause the falafel to fall apart, requiring adding some flour to use as a binder). Instead they are soaked (sometimes with baking soda) overnight, then ground together with various ingredients such as parsley, scallions, and garlic.Template:Sfn Spices such as cumin and coriander are often added to the beans for added flavor. The dried fava beans are soaked in water and then stone ground with leek, parsley, green coriander, cumin and dry coriander. The mixture is shaped into balls or patties. This can be done by hand or with a tool called an aleb falafel (falafel mould). The mixture is usually deep-fried, or it can be oven-baked.

Falafel is typically ball-shaped, but is sometimes made in other shapes. The inside of falafel may be green (from green herbs such as parsley or green onion), or tan. Sometimes sesame seeds are added on top of the falafel before frying it. Template:Nutritional value

When served as a sandwich, falafel is often wrapped with flatbread or stuffed in a hollow pita bread, or it can be served with flat or unleavened bread. Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and other garnishes can be added.Template:Sfn Falafel is commonly accompanied by tahini sauce.Template:Sfn

Nutrition

Homemade falafel is typically around 35% water, 32% carbohydrates, 13% protein, and 18% fat (table). In a reference amount of Template:Convert, homemade falafel supplies 333 calories and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of folate (20% DV), several dietary minerals, and dietary fiber (table). Falafel can be baked to avoid the high fat content associated with frying in oil.Template:Sfn

Politics

Arguments over the relative importance of the dish in various cuisines is an example of gastronationalism. In particular, discussion centers around the adoption of the dish into Israeli cuisine as an example of cultural appropriation. The chickpea version of the falafel has been adopted into Israeli cuisine, where it now features prominently and has been called a national dish of Israel – an attribution that Palestinians and other Arabs have criticized.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

See also

• Operation Dugo

External links

• Recipe of the Day for 12 February 2008 – The New York Times