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Falafel

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This article is about the Middle Eastern food. For the film, see Falafel (film). For the backgammon player, see Matvey Natanzon.

Falafel
Falafel balls
Alternative namesFelafel
TypeFritter
CourseMeze
Place of originEgypt
Region or stateMiddle East
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsBroad beans or chickpeas
Other informationUnicode emoji 🧆

Falafel (/fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل, [fæˈlæːfɪl] ⓘ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin, featuring in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines, and is made from broad beans, ground chickpeas, or both.

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 (assortment of appetizers).

Falafel is eaten throughout the Middle East and is a common street food. Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egypt, with chickpeas in Israel and Palestine,[1] or either just chickpeas or a combination of both in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The adoption of the Palestinian chickpea version of the falafel into Israeli cuisine and its identification as Israeli is contentious, and has led to accusations of cultural appropriation and gastronationalism.[2]

Etymology

The word falāfil (Arabic: فلافل) is Arabic and is the plural of filfil (فلفل) 'pepper',[3] borrowed from Persian felfel (فلفل),[4] cognate with the Sanskrit word pippalī (पिप्पली) 'long pepper'; or an earlier *filfal, from Aramaic pilpāl 'small round thing, peppercorn', derived from palpēl 'to be round, roll'.[5]

The name falāfil is used world-wide. In English (where it has been written falafel, felafel, filafel and filafil), it is first attested in 1936.[6]

Falafel is known as taʿmiya (Egyptian Arabic: طعمية ṭaʿmiyya, IPA: [tˤɑʕˈmejjɑ]) in Egypt and Sudan. The word is derived from a diminutive form of the Arabic word ṭaʿām (طعام, "food"); the particular form indicates "a unit" of the given root in this case Ṭ-ʕ-M (ط ع م, having to do with taste and food), thus meaning "a little piece of food" or "small tasty thing".[7][8][9]

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
Despite the frying process, the inside of a falafel remains soft.
A man in a restaurant kitchen making fritters
Falafel being fried in a scoop, Ramallah

The origin of falafel is uncertain.[10] The dish most likely originated in Egypt.[11][12][13][14][15] It has been speculated that its history may go back to Pharaonic Egypt.[16] However, the earliest written references to falafel from Egyptian sources date to the 19th century,[17][18][19] and oil was probably too expensive to use for deep frying in ancient Egypt.[19][20]

As Alexandria is a port city, it was possible to export the dish and its name to other areas in the Middle East.[21] 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.[1][22][23]

Middle East

Falafel is a common form of street food or fast food in Egypt, across the Levant, and in the wider Middle East.[24][25] 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.[8] Falafel became so popular that McDonald's for a time served a "McFalafel" in its breakfast menu in Egypt.[26]

Falafel is still popular in the Coptic diet, and as such large volumes are cooked during religious holidays.[24] Falafel is consumed as part of the Lenten diet by Arab Christians.[27][28][1][24][29]

The Palestinian chickpea version of the falafel has been adopted into Israeli cuisine, where it features prominently and has been called a national dish of Israel, which Palestinians and other Arabs have criticized and characterized as cultural appropriation.[1][30]

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.[31]

North America

In North America, prior to the 1970s, falafel was found only in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Jewish neighborhoods and restaurants.[32][33][34][35] Today, the dish is a common and popular street food in many cities throughout North America.[36][37][38]

Vegetarianism

Falafel is popular with vegetarians worldwide.[32]

Falafel became popular among vegetarians and vegans as an alternative to meat-based street foods.[32][39] While traditionally thought of as being used to make veggie burgers,[40] its use has expanded as more have adopted it as a source of protein.[41] Falafel is used as a meat substitute in some vegetarian recipes for meatloaf, sloppy joes and spaghetti and meatballs.[42][43]

Preparation and variations

Falafel is made from fava beans or chickpeas, or a combination of both.[1] Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egyptian cuisine, where it most likely originated, with chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine,[1] or just chickpeas or a combination of both in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and the wider Middle East.[24][1][29][44] This version is the most popular in the West.[24]

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.[24] Spices such as cumin and coriander are often added to the beans for added flavor.[45] The dried fava beans are soaked in water and then stone ground with leek, parsley, green coriander, cumin and dry coriander.[46][47] The mixture is shaped into balls or patties. This can be done by hand or with a tool called an aleb falafel (falafel mould).[7] 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.

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.[48] When served as a sandwich, falafel is often wrapped with flatbread or stuffed in a hollow pita bread,[49] or it can be served with flat or unleavened bread.[50] Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and other garnishes can be added.[51][52] Falafel is commonly accompanied by tahini sauce.[24]

Nutrition

Homemade falafel
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy1,393 kJ (333 kcal)
31.84 g
17.80 g
13.31 g
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin A13 IU
Thiamine (B1)
12%
0.146 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
13%
0.166 mg
Niacin (B3)
7%
1.044 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
6%
0.292 mg
Vitamin B6
7%
0.125 mg
Folate (B9)
20%
78 μg
Vitamin B12
0%
0.00 μg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
4%
54 mg
Iron
19%
3.42 mg
Magnesium
20%
82 mg
Manganese
30%
0.691 mg
Phosphorus
15%
192 mg
Potassium
20%
585 mg
Sodium
13%
294 mg
Zinc
14%
1.50 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water34.62 g
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[53] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[54]

Homemade falafel is 35% water, 32% carbohydrates, 13% protein, and 18% fat (table). In a reference amount of 100 grams (3.5 oz), homemade falafel supplies 333 calories and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of folate (20% DV) and several dietary minerals, particularly manganese (33% DV) (table). Falafel is high in soluble fiber, which has been shown to be effective in lowering blood cholesterol.[55] Falafel can be baked to avoid the high fat content associated with frying in oil.[32][51]

Politico-cultural implications

Main article: Politics of food in the Arab-Israeli conflict

Arguments over the relative importance of the dish in various cuisines is an example of gastronationalism.[2] In particular, discussion centers around the adoption of the dish into Israeli cuisine as an example of cultural appropriation.[2] 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.[1][30]

While, according to author Claudia Roden, falafel was "never specifically a Jewish dish" in Syria and Egypt, it was consumed by Syrian and Egyptian Jews,[10][22] and was adopted in the diet of early Jewish immigrants to the Jewish communities of Ottoman Syria.[30] As it is plant-based, Jewish dietary laws classify it as pareve and thus allow it to be eaten with both meat and dairy meals.[33]

Palestinian author Reem Kassis wrote that the term "Israeli food" (including falafel) has become a proxy for political conflict.[56][30] Joseph Massad, a Jordanian-American professor at Columbia University, has characterized falafel and other Arab dishes description in American and European restaurants as Israeli to be part of a broader trend of "colonial conquest".[57]

Journalist Dorothy Kahn Bar-Adon wrote in 1941 that "since the outbreak of war domestic science institutions have been advocating the use of local products" but that there was a "wall of resistance", and that many Eastern Europeans were reluctant to use local foods. Dafna Hirsch of the Open University of Israel, wrote that despite this initial reluctance, "several ingredients from the Palestinian repertoire did penetrate many Jewish kitchens by the early 1940s, mostly vegetables like olives, tomatoes, eggplants, and squashes. Prepared dishes, however, were rarely adopted, except for falafel, which became a popular street food in Tel Aviv by the late 1930s. Excluding consumption by immigrants from Arab countries, both falafel and, later, hummus seem to have been adopted mainly by the first generation of Jews born in the country."[58] Some authors have disagreed on the politics of food and its relative merit as a topic in the conflict.[59]

The Association of Lebanese Industrialists in 2008 threatened a lawsuit against Israel seeking damages for lost revenues, claiming copyright infringement regarding the branding of Israeli falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, and other foods.[22][23][60]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Raviv 2003, p. 20.
  2. ^ a b c Vered, Ronit (13 June 2018). "Israelis or Arabs – Who Owns Falafel - and Does It Matter?". Haaretz. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
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  5. ^ "Definition of falafel | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  6. ^ The Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed., March 2022) has a 1936 citation.
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  11. ^ Helman, Anat (2015). Jews and Their Foodways. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-049359-2. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2023. The claim that Indian cooking may have influenced the invention of falafel is reasonable. There are many fried foods in India that predate falafel and that are similar in shape and consistency. British soldiers familiar with vada, ambode, dal ke pakode and other fried foods might easily have experimented and encouraged resourceful Egyptian chefs to come up with a local equivalent.
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  30. ^ a b c d Pilcher 2006, p. 115.
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  46. ^ Kathrynne Holden. "Fava Beans, Levodopa, and Parkinson's Disease". Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
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  51. ^ a b Winget & Chalbi 2003, p. 33.
  52. ^ Claudia Roden, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York, New York, Knopf, 1997, 688 p. (ISBN 0-394-53258-9), p. 273.
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  59. ^ Ariel, Ari (2012). "The Hummus Wars". Gastronomica. 12 (1): 34–42. doi:10.1525/gfc.2012.12.1.34. ISSN 1529-3262. JSTOR 10.1525/gfc.2012.12.1.34.
  60. ^ Nahmias, Roee (10 June 2008). "Lebanon: Israel stole our falafel". Ynet News. Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2010.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Falafel.
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Cookbook:Falafel
Look up falafel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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