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Falafel

Falafel balls
Course	Street food
Region or state	Believed to have originated in Egypt before spreading north to the Levant
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Fava beans or chickpeas
Variations	Served alone or as a sandwich
Cookbook: Falafel   Media: Falafel

Falafel (/fəˈlɑːfəl/; Template:Lang-ar, [falaːfil] ) is a deep 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 flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, 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.

Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. Falafel is also often considered a national dish of Israel. 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.

Etymology

The word falafel can refer to the fritters themselves or to sandwiches filled with them. The Arabic word فلافل (falāfil) is the plural of فلفل (filfil) which means "hot pepper" and is also an adjective denoting "something fluffy". The word has now spread to the rest of the world.

Falafel is known as ta'amiya (Template:Lang-ar [tˤaʕˈmijːa]) in Egypt, with the exception of Alexandria, as well as in Sudan. The word is derived from the Arabic root word طعم, meaning taste.

History

The origin of falafel is unknown and controversial. A common theory is that the dish originates in Egypt, possibly eaten by Copts as a replacement for meat during Lent. Alexandria being a port city made it possible to export the dish and name to other areas in the Middle East. The dish later migrated northwards to the Levant, where chickpeas replaced the fava. It has also been theorized to a lesser extent that falafel has origins during Egypt's Pharaonic Period or in the Indian subcontinent.

Middle East

Falafel grew to become a common form of street food or fast food in the Middle East. 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 began to serve a "McFalafel" in some countries. It is still popular with the Copts, who cook large volumes during religious holidays. Debates over the origin of falafel have sometimes devolved into political discussions about the relationship between Arabs and Israelis.

While falafel is not a specifically Jewish dish, it was eaten by Mizrahi Jews in their countries of origin. Later, it was adopted by early Jewish immigrants to Palestine. Due to its being entirely vegetable and plant based, it is considered parve under Jewish dietary laws and gained acceptance with Jews because it could be eaten with meat or dairy meals. Falafel is now an iconic part of Israeli cuisine and often referred to as a national dish. This has led to resentment by Palestinians and assertions of copyright infringement by the Lebanese Industrialists' Association. Israeli entrepreneurs brought falafel to Europe and the United States sometime in the 1970s.

On May 9, 2010, in Beirut, more than 300 Lebanese chefs prepared 5,173 kilograms (11,405 lb) of falafel mixture. A Guinness World Records representative was present to record the feat. On May 21, 2010, an Israeli chef in New York 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. This record was broken by a 52.8 pound falafel made by chefs at the Santa Clarita Jewish Festival on May 15, 2011. It was certified on site at 5pm for submission to the Guinness Book of World Records.

North America

During the 20th century, falafel was generally known only by individuals who frequented restaurants in Middle Eastern and Jewish neighborhoods and by vegans, who used it as a meat analogue. However the dish has become a common street food in many cities throughout North America, and U.S. college students readily enjoy falafel wraps as they do other fast foods like pizza.

Vegetarianism

Falafel has become popular among vegetarians and the vegan movement, where it is celebrated as an alternative to meat-laden street foods, and is now sold in prepackaged mixes in health-food stores. While traditionally thought of as being used to make veggie burgers, its use has expanded as more and more people have adopted it as a source of protein. A versatile ingredient, it has allowed for the reformulating of recipes for meat loaf, sloppy joes and spaghetti and meatballs into meatless, vegetarian dishes.

Today, falafel is eaten all over the world.

Preparation and variations

Falafel is made from fava beans or chickpeas, or a combination of the two. The use of chickpeas is predominant in most Middle Eastern countries. The dish is usually made with chickpeas in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Palestinians and Yemenite Jews in Jerusalem have historically prepared falafel only from chickpeas. This version is the most popular in the West. The Egyptian variety uses fava beans.

The beans are not cooked prior to use. Instead they are soaked with baking soda, then ground together with various ingredients such as parsley, scallions, and garlic. Spices such as cumin and coriander are often added to the beans for added flavor. The mixture is shaped into balls or patties. This can be done by hand or with a tool called an aleb falafel. The mixture is then deep fried.

When not served alone, falafel is often served with unleavened bread (known generally as khubz throughout the Arab world) when it is wrapped within lafa or stuffed in a hollow pita. Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and other garnishes can be added. Falafel is commonly accompanied with tahini.

Nutrition

When made with chickpeas, falafel is high in protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber. Chickpeas are also low in fat and salt and contain no cholesterol. Key nutrients are calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, Vitamin C, thiamine, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B, and folate. Phytochemicals include beta-carotene. Due to its nutrition profile, as well as being considered a hearty and satisfying dish, falafel is often recommended for use in weight control programs. It is also high in soluble fiber, which has been shown to be effective at lowering blood cholesterol.

Falafel can be baked to reduce the high fat content associated with frying. Although baking alters the texture and flavor, it is often a recommended preparation technique for people suffering from health problems like diabetes.

References

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External links

• New York Times Recipe of the Day for February 12, 2008
• Safaa Cuisine Safaa Cuisine Felafels

• Ill-formatted IPAc-en transclusions
• Articles with inconsistent citation formats
• Arabic loanwords
• Legume dishes
• Middle Eastern cuisine
• National dishes
• Vegan cuisine
• Street food
• Deep fried foods