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Falafel

Course	Street food
Place of origin	Egypt
Region or state	Middle East
Serving temperature	Hot, served alone or in a pita
Main ingredients	Fava beans or chickpeas
Variations	many
Other information	Spread north from Egypt to the Levant. Now popular worldwide.
Cookbook: Falafel   Media: Falafel

Falafel (Template:Pron-en; Template:Lang-ar falāfil; Egyptian and Sudanese Arabic: طعمية Ta'miyya; Template:Lang-el) 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.

Etymology

The Arabic word "falafel" (falāfil) may be the plural of فلفل ( Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) 'pepper'. In Arab countries, the word is also used to describe something with a fluffy or crunchy texture, such as رز مفلفل ( Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), a kind of cooked rice, and شعر مفلفل ( Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), curly hair. It is also transliterated felafel and filafil. The name may be derived from the Sanskrit word पिप्पल "pippalī."Falafel can refer to a croquette of mashed chickpeas and spices, or to the sandwiches filled the fritters and topped with garnishes.

History

Originally from Egypt, falafel is a popular form of street food or fast food in the Middle East. It is believed that falafel originates from an Egyptian fava bean fritter that was eaten by Copts as a replacement for meat during Lent. The dish later migrated northwards, where chickpeas replaced the fava. Falafel became a common dish in the Levant before Western intervention led to borders between Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan. Falafel increased in popularity in Israel after the state's creation, and is often perceived as its national dish. Some food historians believe that it has roots in Indian cuisine.Falafel is now eaten all over the world. It is popular among vegetarians, and prepackaged mixes are sold in health-food and grocery stores.During Ramadan, felafel balls are sometimes eaten as part of the iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset.

Ingredients

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. Palestinians and Yemenite Jews in Jerusalem have historically prepared falafel only from chickpeas. The beans are not cooked prior to use. Instead they are soaked with bicarbonate of soda, then ground together with onion, parsley and spices such as cumin and coriander. The mixture is shaped into balls or patties, then deep fried. Sesame seeds are sometimes added to the mixture before frying.

Variations

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, a popular salad is parsley mixed with chopped mint leaves. Pickled cucumber, turnip colored pink with beetroot, and raw onion are common falafel accompaniments. In Israel, French fries may be added to the sandwich.

Other, less traditional variations include: "stuffed" falafel, which contains a filling of ground meat, minced onions or hard-boiled egg, and tuna falafel, a mixture that includes ground tuna and almonds. Salads or pita containing falafel may also be seasoned with salt or sumac.

Academic politicizing of food

The consumption of falafel in Israel is sometimes perceived by Arabs as "food theft." It has also been called a "deliberate attempt to relinquish Diaspora habits in favor of a new existence in Palestine." According to one such theory, immigrants to Israel "adopted certain Arab models that they perceived as related to Jewish existence in the mythical, Biblical past," to the point that it has become a "signifier of Israeli pride." A professor at Queens College in New York claims that Israelis appropriated falafel in the same way as Jaffa oranges and Za'atar.

See also

• Middle Eastern cuisine
• Arab cuisine
• Egyptian cuisine
• Iraqi cuisine
• Israeli cuisine
• Lebanese cuisine
• Palestinian cuisine
• Sudanese cuisine
• Syrian cuisine

References

1. “Falafel.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Accessed on April 6, 2006.
2. American Heritage Dictionary - Falafel
3. Martinson, Suzanne (October 10, 2002). "Many countries claim the Middle Eastern falafel, but anyone can enjoy it". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
4. ^ Jodi Kantor (July 10, 2002). "A History of the Mideast in the Humble Chickpea". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
5. Kelley, Leigh (January 28, 2010). "Dining with a Middle Eastern flair". Times-News. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
6. ^ Yael Raviv, "Falafel: A National Icon" Gastronomica Summer 2003 doi:10.1525/gfc.2003.3.3.20
7. Denker, Joel (2003). The World on a Plate: A Tour Through the History of America's Ethnic Cuisine. U of Nebraska Press. p. 41.
8. MacLeod, Hugh (October 12, 2008). "Lebanon turns up the heat as falafels fly in food fight". The Age. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
9. Pilcher, Jeffrey M. (2006). Food in World History. Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 9780415311465.
10. Sussman, Anna (August 16, 2007). "A Lebanese chef's vision: Make falafel, not war". The New York Times. Beirut. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
11. Hendler, Sefi (August 16, 2007). "Falafel takes over the world". Ynetnews. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
12. Wolfe, Frankie Avalon (2007). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian. Penguin Group. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-592-57682-1.
13. Campion, Charles (May 9, 2002). "Falling for fine falafel". London Evening Standard. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
14. About Israel's signature food--plus, a recipe.
15. Ayto, John (1990). The glutton's glossary: a dictionary of food and drink terms. Routledge. ISBN 0415026474, 9780415026475. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); More than one of |author= and |last1= specified (help)
16. The History of Falafel
17. "Banda-Style Tuna Falafel". Saveur Magazine. June 2006. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
18. Falafel recipes.
19. Nahmias, Roee (June 10, 2008). "Lebanon: Israel stole our falafel". Ynet News. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
20. MacLeod, Hugh (October 12, 2008). "Lebanon turns up the heat as falafels fly in food fight". The Age. Beirut. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
21. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/10/dining/a-history-of-the-mideast-in-the-humble-chickpea.html?pagewanted=2

• Middle Eastern cuisine
• Arabic loanwords
• Legume dishes
• National dishes
• Vegan cuisine