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Revision as of 21:28, 16 September 2011 editNo More Mr Nice Guy (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers8,461 edits Dispute over statement, "Israeli entrepreneurs brought falafel to Europe and the United States sometime in the 1970s." and citation← Previous edit Latest revision as of 20:21, 23 October 2024 edit undoValereee (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators83,810 edits Inappropriate paragraph: ReplyTag: Reply 
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|quote = The idea of what is neutral can be strongly contested because the lived experience, the language sources being cited, and the local understanding of events, situations, or even recipes – do have a look at the ferocious edit wars around the origins of Falafel – do not always match documented sources.
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== GA review ==

I enjoyed reading and reviewing this article. Congratulations to all users that brought this article to GA status. Thank you. --] (]) 14:58, 24 February 2011 (UTC)
:Right on. Thanks for the review!] (]) 23:17, 24 February 2011 (UTC)


I enjoyed it too - congrats on GA status! I would like to make a suggestion for the North America section/reference to vegans:
The word "vegans" should be changed to "vegetarians". A recipe for falafel is found in ], a widely circulated and mainstream vegetarian cookbook. The copyright date on my copy of Moosewood is 1977, so to say "During the 20th century, falafel was generally known only by individuals who frequented restaurants in Middle Eastern and Jewish neighborhoods and by vegans . . ." is inaccurate. ] (]) 15:05, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

== Translation in first sentence ==

ElComandanteChe, MOS you linked to says: "''Relevant'' foreign language names, such as in an article on a person who does not herself write her name in English, are encouraged.". . I don't see how this resembles the situation here.

Another guideline says: "The native spelling of a name should generally be included in the first line of the article, with a transliteration if the Anglicization isn't identical." --] (]) 18:37, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

:This has been discussed before in the talk page archive. Since the word "falafel" is generally agreed not to have a Hebrew origin, it does not need to be in the first sentence. The פלאפל spelling is in the lead, so there is no need to give it twice. The Hebrew spelling is a transliteration, not a foreign language name.--'''''] <sup>]</sup>''''' 19:23, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

:: I've briefly looked through the archive, but probably missed it. Any chance you can point me to that discussion? --] (]) 19:32, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

:::It is at ], although as ever it is hard to keep everyone happy. The current version of the article has the Hebrew spelling in the ], but not in the first sentence, which is a fair compromise. The word is not of Hebrew origin, so this makes sense.--'''''] <sup>]</sup>''''' 19:38, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

::::Cool, I'm not going to reopen this discussion. --] (]) 19:46, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
:::::I was never completely happy with the "compromise" since sources point to it not being of Arabic origin or even from Cairo. So the argument that since it is probably from Copts in Alexandria but we need to push its probably nonexsixstent Arabic Egyptian origins in a way to highlight its popularity in Arab countries is not appropriate. ''But'', it has been stable and is now GA. I would actually go for removing the Arabic translation at the very beginning but no change works just as well for me as well.
:::::And to the IP: Please do not make controversial edits without seeing previous discussions or allowing any new discussions to come to a consensus. This article is now GA and qe do not need political bickering to get it delisted. Follow decent protocol. And to everyone else: don;t edit war.] (]) 20:53, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
::::::You have mixed together the origin of the dish with the origin of the name for the dish.--] (]) 21:16, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
:::::::And it is very convenient that the origin of name does not coincide with the origin of the dish but does highlight one POV while ignoring another. But your edit summary does not coincide with your most recent argument since you refer to native spelling. Consensus among the sources is that it is probably Coptic and not Arabic so it is not "native" to Arabs. Not using any translation would work fine for me. I also think that we could ax the Cairo dialect translation and would then see no reason to include the Hebrew. But as mentioned above, I am OK with no change if it keeps it stable. ] (]) 21:23, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
:::::::::Falafel is an Arabic name, so its translation is native to its names origin. And its not established where the origin of the dish is from. --] (]) 21:32, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
:::::::::This looks like it has already been resolved, but I just wanted to add my $.02: I would support axing the Cairo dialect and Hebrew from the lead because I don't see what they add, and I especially don't see any reason for them in the lead. However, the Arabic belongs at the very beginning because the word itself has been transliterated into English from Arabic, so it's important to show how it's actually written in the language from which the word comes. -- ] (]) 14:00, 21 March 2011 (UTC)
::::::::::I guess both the question of the language of origin, and the question of the language through which the word came into modern English are open. Moreover, I afraid the first question will remain mystery. --] (]) 23:15, 21 March 2011 (UTC)
:::::::::::Is there a question that the English word ''falafel'' comes from the Arabic ''فلافل''? -- ] (]) 02:00, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

mmmm GA. Tastes goood. Where were you guys then? The origin of the dish is not Arabic. The name is almost certainly. However, this is not wiktionary and if we run into a issue of asserting nationalism over NPOV then I am happy to disregard a template in the first line. If there is any question that we are calling it an Arabic dish with that translation then NPOV trumps it since it is not that important to the readers understanding (especially when we have a whole subsection devoted to it). It is stupid that Arabs and Jews are fighting over it but they are. And we do not take sides. As soon as it looks like we are giving preference (which we have with Nableezy doing everything possible to get Cairo dialect in and other editors making sure Hebrew is in) while others made sure Arabic was mentioned at the beginning) then it means we did it wrong. I am happy we got this to GA but if people are going to start crying over translations then the easy fix is to ax it since we have Wiktionary and a subsection and don;t need it. Note how nice the talk page was until people started whining about politics again. ] (]) 08:08, 22 March 2011 (UTC)
:I notice that even when I am not here you cannot resist the urge to bring me up. Now that I noticed this I will respond. There is no "consensus among sources" that this was first made by Copts, there is consensus that this was first made in Egypt. I included the name used by the overwhelming majority of the people (including Copts) in the place of origin (and it is not simply a "Cairo dialect", it is an Egyptian dialect). I still see no reason why to include the Hebrew in this article. Falafel is also eaten in China, yet we do not include a Chinese name. This belief that one Arabic word has to be "neutralized" by a Hebrew word is nonsense. I realize that people from Israel like Falafel, thats great, God bless. But that is not a reason to include the Hebrew. I included the Egyptian name because, and only because, that is the name in the place of origin. The standard Arabic name should likewise be included as it is the source for the English name. Is there actually a reason to include the Hebrew name? <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 14:43, 25 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
::Just as much as the Arabic name. Did the Copts even speak Arabic way back? I am under the impression they did not. God bless the Egyptians for enjoying falafel but it is more than likely from a minority of the current state's population. Furthermore, it is more than likely from Alexandria where it is still ''not'' called "ta'amiya". It does not need to be nationalized and his is especially true since the descendants of those who most likely created it don;t even identify with the Arabs in Egypt. If you want to remove both translations i an attempt to limit nationalizing I might be on board with it but the Hebrew is handled perfectly fine. actually think the Arabic is now a little botched.
::'''You also have began lowering this article on the quality scale.''' In your reaction to the IP, you added sources to lines that are not that controversial (verification wise) and addressed in the body. See the MoS on lead sections. I see a desisting pretty soon if editors want to start bickering over whos people get the most mention in the article. ] (]) 22:40, 26 April 2011 (UTC)
::And the "urge" is based on your content submissions. No one can disagree that you were trying to get the Arabic name in and there was tons of discussion on it. If you had not been pushing so hard I wouldn't be surprised if both translations were gone. And that would be fine by me if that is what it takes to limit politicization of this article.] (]) 22:54, 26 April 2011 (UTC)
:::Where are you getting that this was "likely" made first by Copts? Almost all the sources say that is an unverified claim. Please provide a source for your novel claim that it is "more than likely from Alexandria". The reason that standard Arabic word should be there is because the word "falafel" is an Arabic word. That you find the need to "balance" it with the word in some other random language says more about your urge to "politicize" such an article than mine. What exactly is the reason the Hebrew should be in the lead section? You say there "just as much" reason for the Hebrew as the Arabic. In 4 paragraphs about falafel in the ''Oxford companion to food'' the fact that falafel is known as ta'amiya in Egypt (which it identifies as the origin for the dish) is prominently identified. Notice that it words the idea that this was originally made by Copts as a "Coptic claim". Seems at least that source thinks what it is known as in the place of origin is something worth mentioning. Could you please provide the reason you say that there is "just as much" reason to include the Hebrew spelling of an Arabic word in the lead of an article on street food? And, if you would be so kind, tell me how that reason is not "political"? Oh, to your accusation that I lowered the quality of the article. An IP requested inline citations. I know what LEADCITE says, thank you very much, but I would rather avoid an obsessive IP annoying me by providing the citation instead of removing the cn templates and having it quickly be reverted. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 01:03, 27 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
I have reviewed the discussions here and as an "outsider" arrived at the following conclusions:<br />

# Numbered list item
1. After researching the history of the two editors involved in nominating this article for "Good Article" status, it appears both of them are extremely partisan and have a history of promoting Israeli & Jewish perspectives at the expensive of the native populations & native cultures in the middle east. In some literary circles this might be considered cultural and historical revisionism.<br />

2. The most outspoken editors against the article being considered a "Good Article" have a long history at this article, which I noted from the article's edit history and archives. However they were absent during the article improvement phase and review process. I gather in one of the sections below that one of the editors was under some sort of editing restriction at the time, however that does not make her input in this article any less valid or important.<br />

3. Falafel has no history in the Jewish or Hebraic community. It is not mentioned by the Hebrew people of antiquity nor the Jewish people immigrated from their homelands in Europe during the 19th century. <br />

4. Falafel is currently enjoyed by people residing in Israel, both the native arab populations and the immigrants and those decended from 19th and 20th century immigrants.
In summation, given the facts presented above, the Hebraic translation does not belong in this article and it should have its "Good Article" status revoked until such time that neutral and factually correct information can be established by article newcomers and editors who did not participate in the flawed and politically tarnished original review process. ~MMFireman <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) 00:20, 29 April 2011 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:I dont think anybody wants to remove any Good Article status, whether or not the Hebrew is in the article. I dont think anybody is opposed to this being a GA, much less be outspoken about it. It is commendable that some editors want to improve an article on a topic, any topic, be it spiders or wars or falafel. There are problems with the article, whether or not it is a GA (and being a GA is really not that big a deal, one person reviews an article). One of these problems is, in my view, the inclusion of the Hebrew in a clearly transparent, even admitted to, attempt to provide some mythical "balance" to an Arabic word. I dont actually care if it is here or not, I dont think it should be, but it doesnt matter. What matters to me is the way an editor makes accusations about others politicizing an article on a food as though pushing for the inclusion of the Hebrew spelling of an Arabic word for an Egyptian dish is not "political". <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 00:44, 29 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
Cptnono, you need to answer my questions if you are going to make that revert. Specifically:
* Where are you getting that this was "likely" made first by Copts? Almost all the sources say that is an unverified claim.
* Please provide a source for your novel claim that it is "more than likely from Alexandria".
* The reason that standard Arabic word should be there is because the word "falafel" is an Arabic word. The reason why the Egyptian Arabic word is in there is because a reliable source, in fact the Oxford Companion to Food published by Oxford University Press, identifies Egypt as the place of origin and further gives the Egyptian Arabic word as the name in the place of origin. What exactly is the reason the Hebrew should be in the lead section? You say there is "just as much" reason, please tell me what that reason is. And, if you would be so kind, tell me how that reason is not "political"?
Please answer these questions. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 02:07, 29 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
: an interesting book from 1981, written by several linguists, that says the word falafel entered English from Israeli Hebrew. Which makes sense since "falafel" is the Hebrew pronunciation. Arabic is "falafil". It also supports what the article says about Israelis bringing falafel to the US. ] (]) 11:00, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
::Its an off-hand mention contradicted by many more sources. And it actually does not not say what you say, it says that Israeli restaurants are popularizing the term in the US. Also, have you ever heard the term falafel in Arabic? In most dialects it is pronounced almost exactly as it is in English, with the khaleeji Arabic giving it a bit more of an ''i'' than a soft ''e''. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 13:34, 29 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
:::It's not an off-hand mention, it's a specific example of a word that entered English from Hebrew, in a book about language in the US written by linguists and published by ]. That's about as RS as it gets. Which "many more sources" contradict it? And yes, I've heard the term falafel spoken in Arabic. Have you heard it in Hebrew? ] (]) 14:06, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
::::Of course it is an off-hand mention, anybody who looks at the link can see that, seems silly to argue that point. As far as what sources that say it is an Arabic word, here are a few for starters:
::::*
::::*
::::*
::::*''The Oxford dictionary of foreign words and phrases'' (1997) p. 484 identifies falafel as coming from Arabic
::::*''Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics'' (2006) likewise says it is an Arabic loanword.
::::<small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 15:14, 29 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
:::::It's an Arabic word that entered English through Hebrew. None of your sources contradict that. ] (]) 17:39, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
::::::Uhh no. Each of the above sources identify the English word falafel as coming from Arabic, with no mention of Hebrew. It may well have been popularized by Israeli restaurants in America (which by the way is not the only English speaking country on the planet), but each of the above sources say that the etymology is Arabic -> English. Not Arabic -> Hebrew -> English. Take a look at the Oxford book above, it makes no mention of falafel in the list of English words coming from Hebrew, only listing it in the Arabic list. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 18:42, 29 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
:::::::Really? They all say it went directly from Arabic to English? Could you quote those parts? I must be overlooking it somehow.
:::::::Nobody is arguing it's not originally an Arabic word, by the way. The issue is how it entered English (or American English if you prefer). ] (]) 19:21, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
::::::::Compare the Compact Oxford Dictionary etymology of to that of . Note the way in which the dictionary shows that "paradise" entered English from Old French, but that its origins lay in Avestan (an Iranian language). And note that the entry for falafel does not mention Hebrew.
::::::::Please note: I don't care whether the article includes the Hebrew or not, but I just want to be clear about the origin of the English word. —&nbsp;]&nbsp;<sup>]</sup>/<sub>]</sub> 19:31, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
:::::::The Oxford book gives a list for each foreign language for the source of commonly used words in English. In the Arabic list falafel is listed. It is not listed in the Hebrew list. You can look at the quotes from the rest yourself, the links are given. They all give the etymology as Arabic, not Hebrew. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 19:39, 29 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
::::::::The origin of the word is Arabic, it entered English through Israeli Hebrew. That statement is supported by the source I provided and is not contradicted by the sources you provided which talk about the origin of the word, not how it entered the English language. I did look at those that are available online. I must have missed the parts where they say they're discussing how the word entered English rather than its origin. ] (]) 20:28, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
:::::::::You can keep saying that none of the other sources dispute that, but they all do. They all give the origin of the English word as the Arabic word, full stop. From Arabic to English. Not Arabic to Hebrew to English. Also, see Malik's link from the OED on the etymology. From Arabic to English, full stop. Also, see Merriam-Webster: : origin: Arabic. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 20:45, 29 April 2011 (UTC)</font></small>
:Indented line
Falafel's etimology is Arabic plain and simple. The food and its name have nothing to do with the language or people of the Hebrews of antiquity or the followers of Judaism whose forefathers left their European homelands in the 19th & 20th century and settled in Palestine.
:Indented line
The invention of Israeli Hebrew in the late 19th & 20th centuries involved the "hebrewization" of many Arabic words and makes use of loan words from Aramaic and Arabic, since much of the ancient Hebrews language was lost and those words that did survive were liturgical in nature and suffered from language drift. So even if the word entered English from Hebrew, its more than likely that the Hebrew word was taken from Arabic by people instrumental in the creation of Israeli Hebrew. A search of online scholastic resources has yet to provide proof that the modern English word has any connection to Israeli or the ancient Hebrews languages. In summary the use of the Hebrew word in this article is incorrect and to use a term introduced by Jd2718, it is "synthasis" to have it in this article. Thank you. Mmfireman
::Your comment reminds me that there are three issues that have been discussed 1) Should falafel have the Arabic translation in the lead. 2) Should the translation and alternative name from Egyptians outside of Alexandria (where it is likely to have been introduced) be in the lead and/or body? 3)Should Hebrew be in?
::My thoughts:
::1)The whole Arabic to modern usage is good enough for me to at least be in the article somewhere. I think that the lead causes nationalism issues so can understand it not being in the lead.
::2)The alternative Egyptian name has some mentions in sources so I could see it being in the "Etymology" section but it is given too much prominence in the lead and it hampers a nice flow of the sentence.
::3)The Hebrew thing used to be out of the lead if I recall correctly. It is done is such a nonobtrusive way that I would be surprised of the reaction from some editors if I did not know the history how contentious the food has somehow become. I would actually not cry too much with its removal if the not that common alternative name from Cairo was moved into the "Etymology" section and would also still be be happy to see it in the body as a simple translation within parenthesis somewhere in the history section. Other editors have seen it that way and been happy with it.
::Basically, both Cairo and Hebrew can be in the body as far as I see it. I am on the fence with the Arabic translation in the lead since it causes nothing but trouble and may not be enough of a benefit to the reader to keep there. ] (]) 00:47, 4 May 2011 (UTC)
:::You have, once again, made unsubstantiated claims. To begin with, this is not an alternative name from Cairo, this is the name across Egypt, with the exception of Alexandria. Could you please provide a source for the claim that falafel originated in Alexandria? Could you please clarify what on earth you mean by "not that common alternative name from Cairo"? Several sources give this as the name in Egypt. Not as some uncommon name in Cairo as you repeatedly claim. Please provide sources for these claims. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 03:51, 4 May 2011 (UTC)</small>


No. You can read the article yourself. Copts in Alexandria is actually in the sources. Start reading, homie.] (]) 07:09, 7 May 2011 (UTC)
:I have read the sources, and they almost all say that it is a Coptic claim, and I have yet to see one that says it was in Alexandria. Please say which sources supports your claims. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 07:11, 7 May 2011 (UTC)</small>
::Fine. I will do the research for you. Give me a day or so since I really have to be off drinking and prepping myself for tomorrow's races (Midnight Interlude to place). So I am going to go off the top of my head and say "Med location = easier access to the rest of the region" (I am pretty sure that is a great paraphrase of a source already used but will have to double check tpo see if it was pulled in the GA push). So while I am researching it for you how about you answer the questions I asked you or actually address the attempt at NPOV listed above instead of latching on one single comment. C'mon. I gave you lots to work with and if you think the best solution is to keep on arguing instead of finding a solution based on NPOV then we are going backwards. How about I assume good faith and believe that you actually want to keep this article at GA instead of pushing a POV. Take a breath and think what is better for the article. A)MAKING SURE THAT ARABIC IS IN THE LEAD ARGH! or B)Masking the lead readable and NPOV. I'll AGF for a bit if it means that you will attempt to continue to improve this article instead of politizing it. BTW, every comment above is OK per the standards here. Go eat some yummy food and stop thinking about politics.] (]) 07:28, 7 May 2011 (UTC)
:::Still waiting. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 01:38, 9 May 2011 (UTC)</small>
:::::But the source is already in the article. Also, you should know that Alexandria was their center and not Cairo. That is probably why "falafel" is still the name in Alexandria. But I will let you read the article again since it is right there. Wow. Just wow. ] (]) 02:53, 9 May 2011 (UTC)
::::::The article says ''Alexandria being a port city made it possible to export the dish and name to other areas in the Middle East.'' That is nowhere close to your manufactured claim that falafel was invented in Alexandria. What that sentence means, for the English challenged among us, is that falafel spread to the rest of the Middle East from Alexandria. '''Not''' that falafel was invented in Alexandria. Wow indeed. Next time actually check to see if the things you are making up has a chance of being true. Again, please provide a source for these wild claims that you continue to make on this talk page. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 03:01, 9 May 2011 (UTC)</small>
::::::::There are no claims to falafel being from Cairo. In fact, they call it something else there. On the other hand we have multiple sources discussing its prevalence in Alexandria. And we have the luxury of knowing that Alexandria was a Coptic city a long time ago. But you still have ignored my solution. You have chosen to continue arguing when I laid out what I see as a possible roadmap to straightening it out. It appears to me that you would rather argue about it. If I am wrong (which I should be if we are AGF) then please feel free to actually discuss a solution instead of trying to poke holes in arguments. We do not need to pretend to be lawyers here. You know the argument and the possible solutions. So the best thing for the project would be for you to actually attempt to improve the article instead of using the talk page to continue the battle. Enough with the politics and games. You can chose to be a contributor here and not make the same mistakes as those that have been rightfully banned.] (]) 03:07, 9 May 2011 (UTC)
:::::::::Now it is multiple sources? Again, this is not a "Cairo name". Can you or can you not provide sources for the claims you made in this article? Such as, falafel was invented in Alexandria. Or that it is more than a Coptic claim that was invented by Copts. I have given you multiple sources for everything I have said. You have first simply said that some mythical source in the article supports your claims, and now say there are multiple such sources. Please tell me, which ones. I have also provided reasons for the Egyptian name to be included. Multiple sources, when mentioning the place of origin as Egypt, say this is the Egyptian name. You have yet, despite repeated requests, to provide a reason for including the Hebrew spelling of an Arabic word for street food first made in Egypt. Can you do either of these things at this point? <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 03:12, 9 May 2011 (UTC)</small>
:::::::::I am still waiting for the sources that back up the claims you have made on this talk page. Please provide them. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 15:59, 9 May 2011 (UTC)</small>
Back to the point. If there is a reason to include the Hebrew spelling of an Arabic word for a Egyptian street food, that same reason applies to including the Japaneses spelling of that same Arabic word (ファラフェル). Japanese people like falafel, there is a well known restaurant that specializes in falafel in Japan. Should we include the Japanese spelling in the lead as well? <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 16:07, 9 May 2011 (UTC)</small>
:Im still waiting on answers to my questions and the sources that back up Cptnono's position. I, again, request that the reason the Hebrew spelling of an Arabic word for an Egyptian dish is in the lead. <small style="border: 1px solid;padding:1px 3px;white-space:nowrap">''']''' - 18:50, 10 May 2011 (UTC)</small>
::Ditto. And without a compelling answer, I see no reason for the Hebrew to remain there. ]<sup>]</sup> 13:59, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
I started a discussion at RSN ] regarding the word entering English through Hebrew. ] (]) 15:12, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
I see that the outcome of the above link was that the source in not reliable and that the there is no contextual support for inserting a translation in either the language of the Ancient Hebrews or the suppositious Hebrew used by modern Israelis. It must be removed. Thank you, Mmfireman <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) 19:39, 16 May 2011 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:Why then is there an Arabic spelling of Jacob, who has nothing to do with Arabs? I'm not trying to ], but Falafel is at least as related to Israelis as Jacob is to Arabs. ] (]) 17:41, 24 May 2011 (UTC)
::I've already answered the questions but mine were not. So now that Hebrew is out of the lead it looks like we are off to a good start on removing politics and uneeded translations. Anyone mind if I remove the Egyptian spelling? The reasoning has already been provided. And since an edit war is probably starting (notice the recent reverts) it would make sense to end it now.
::I don;t mind terribly if it is in the body but that citation needs to go per the MoS. This artilce made it to GA despite the bickering and should stay there.] (]) 19:17, 24 May 2011 (UTC)
:::By the "Egyptian spelling" you mean the alternate name? If so, I agree, more appropriate in the body. ] (]) 01:32, 25 May 2011 (UTC)

== palestinians resent our ecumenical enjoyment! ==

:''In Israel, falafel crosses ethnic and religious bounds, and is enjoyed by all sectors of society. This has led to resentment by Palestinians...''

Seriously, is this just an unintentionally garbled summary, or what? There is no question of Palestinians resenting the fact that "In Israel, falfel crosses ethnic and religious bounds," and none of the sources given say anything like that:

says that Palestinians resent the association, in the West, of falafel with Israeli cuisine, which they see as cultural appropriation.

says "Many Palestinians believe that Israelis have stolen falafel," giving the example of a popular Israeli song which falsely claimed that "only we have falafel."

says that Arabs in the region are angry about an attempt by the Lebanese Industrialists' Association to declare falafel specifically Lebanese as opposed to a product of the Arab world more generally.

So how do you get from that to "Palestinians resent Israel's ecumenical enjoyment of falafel?" So far as I can see, you don't, unless you're insanely sloppy or just want to make Palestinians look bad. ] (]) 19:24, 16 April 2011 (UTC)
:Or if we want to follow the sources. Any ideas for rewording it?] (])
::I already did, and you it. What gives? ] (]) 21:30, 17 April 2011 (UTC)
:::You didn't reword it. You removed sourced content. SO per BRD you are free to make some suggestions on how to improve it but simply removing content from a GA is not the best way to go about it. We also do not need to give even more prominence to the "controversy". Editors here have agreed that politics was getting too much play and intentionally toned it down. So what gives ias that we created a GA and you were mucking it up. ] (]) 21:42, 17 April 2011 (UTC)
::::What editors have "agreed" that the article has enough information about what you call "politics"? 99.250.12.151 is right that the information in question is not presented accurately in this article. --] (]) 21:54, 17 April 2011 (UTC)
:::::SD - Perhaps you missed the agreement because the changes were made while you were topic-banned from all articles related to the IP conflict -- which this article sadly falls under. Anyhow, the editors involved in helping this reach GA status agreed that this article focused mostly on the political aspect of the food and not <u>the food itself</u>. Therefore they expanded the article with nutritional information about the food, its use in various diets, its health profile, and how its enjoyed around the world. An independent reviewer found the expanded article to be balanced and well written, hence it was promoted to GA status. If you feel that the Israel-Palestine-Arab political controversy aspect of this food is now insufficient and under-represented, you are welcome to make changes. However, given the history of this article being used as a battleground, I would suggest you have broad support from both administrators and editors before adding potentially contentious IP-related content into this article. --]<sup>]</sup> 23:05, 17 April 2011 (UTC)
I removed the line. Reading the source (the reference allows you to see more than enough, it is a delightful travelogue, a food-tourist story, well-written. But it cannot qualify as more than a culinary memoir. It is in this context not a reliable source.)
Alarmingly, the sentence before and after (Israel considers it national cuisine, Palestinians resent that) formed one idea. Planting the "ecumenical" idea between created the worst kind of synthesis. An article must be more than three score lines, each individually sourced. ] (]) 11:15, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
:The source meets our standards and I was a little surprise that you used that as part of the reason to remove it. But I do agree with removal. The line added too much fluffy language that could be looked at as highlighting politics. It really wasn't needed since saying that it is iconic in the line just before does the job.] (]) 22:40, 30 April 2011 (UTC)
::Nice catch. I think it is worth discussion, though there is no urgency, as this particular snippet doesn't belong for additional reasons. I would hold that the context and the content matter for assessing reliability. There is nothing inherent in the writing, essentially a food/travelogue, that makes it reliable, or not. I looked at its other use on the page, where it supports the ambiguity between the "ball" and the "sandwich", and found it perfectly reliable (his direct observation). I looked at "ecumenical enjoyment" and thought otherwise (his global generalization based on several observations). Before I decided to delete it I considered moving it to a place where it did not interfere with the meaning of the rest of the section, and found it insipid. It's a warning to all of us, and I think I've done it, about the danger of harvesting neat lines from RSs without considering context and flow. ] (]) 23:38, 30 April 2011 (UTC)

== Recent removal of sourced material ==

I don't think ]'s reasoning (''"I deleted the line claiming that Falafel and Salad Pita sandwiches were invented in Israel as the reference cited for this piece of information is relatively weak (a journal article with no references), plus, the claim doesn't sound logical"'') justifies this removals (, and ). is used as a source across the article and looks quite reliable &mdash; anyway there are no high quality sources published by Falafel studies scholars. --] (]) 00:45, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

:I agree. If Wesam gobran feels the newspaper article doesn't satisfy ], it should be brought to ]. —&nbsp;]&nbsp;<sup>]</sup>/<sub>]</sub> 03:30, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
::I also agree. Newspaper articles seldom include references, but commonly serve as acceptable ] for WP articles. ] is insufficient justification for removal of sourced content. ] (]) 03:41, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

== Noun Form and "a unit" ==


'''This paragraph in the introduction is inappropriate and should be removed''':
The "Etymology" also discusses the etymology of the Egyptian word used for a falafel (ṭaˁamiya) and mentions the word form from which that word is formed with the phrase ' '''' the particular form indicates "a unit" of the given root '''' ' May I suggest that instead of "a unit" that "a piece" or "a portion" be used instead? The words "a unit" (especially when discussing something made up of several parts) could be misunderstood to be a 'unit' meaning "a whole thing (of united parts)" rather than a 'unit' as in "a whole portion (of a collection of things)." Any objections? — ] (]) 19:39, 8 September 2011 (UTC)
''The ] chickpea-only version of the falafel has also been adopted into ], where it now features prominently and is proclaimed as the country's ] – a situation which has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese, and other Arab groups alike as amounting to ].'' ] (]) 17:40, 7 September 2023 (UTC)
:Why do you object to it? It is well sourced and I believe factually correct. Do you deny that there is debate about the cultural appropriation of Arab foods by Israelis? The phrasing is I think ], not taking sides on the issue. --] (]) 17:55, 7 September 2023 (UTC)
::Citation needed that Israel appropriated food. Israel is a middle eastern culture just like the others. ] (]) 13:00, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
::Hi Macrakis, I think there is debate because there are Jews from several Arab lands who have settled in Israel therefore, not true cultural appropriation. Either more sources or different wording is needed. ] (]) 03:58, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
:::this is blatantly antisemitic ] (]) 14:28, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
::Here are some constructive suggestions and comment:
::The ] chickpea-only version of the falafel has also been adopted into ], where it now features prominently and is proclaimed as the country's ]. MISLEADING AND NOT NECESSARY FOR LEDE. DOESN'T READ AS NEUTRAL.
::'''History:'''
::The dish later migrated northwards to the ], where chickpeas replaced the fava beans, and from there spread to other parts of the Middle East. THERE WERE JEWS THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST INCLUDING A SMALL POPULATION IN PALESTINE. THEREFORE STATING THE FOLLOWING:
::The identification of Falafel with Israeli cuisine has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arab populations as amounting to ].
::SEEMS CONTRADICTORY.
::ALSO, RAVIV IS THE ONLY SCHOLARLY SOURCE CITING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION ALONG WITH OTHER ARAB ORGANISATIONS.
::CONSIDERING...it was consumed by ] and ] AND was adopted in the diet of early ] to the ] of ]. WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO STATE JEWS AND ARABS CONSUMED/MADE FALAFEL AT VARIOUS POINTS THROUGHOUT HISTORY IN LEDE.
::Thoughts? ] (]) 09:20, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
:::The main note that I have on the above is: read ]. ] (]) 11:06, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
::::Of course Arab Jews (as well as Arab Christians etc.) in Egypt and the Levant ate falafel, but it was not regarded as a distinctively Jewish dish until recently. Treating falafel as a "national food" makes a claim about its distinctiveness.
::::Not sure what your point about the "lamenting" part is. This is an ] statement, not claiming in WP's voice that it ''is'' cultural appropriation, just reporting on what others say. Do you disagree that others say this?
::::Not sure what you mean by Raviv "and other Arab organizations". Raviv is an Israeli-American scholar who has researched this issue and published it as a book and as far as I know has nothing to do with Arab organizations. --] (]) 11:20, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
:::::Hi Macrakis, I'll try to be more specific.
:::::# If the lede is a summary, then it would make more sense, judging by the article and each section to say something like this:
:::::Falafel is a popular dish with a disputed origin, likely originating in Egypt and later spreading to the Middle East. The name is derived from the Arabic word for pepper. The dish involves fritters made from fava beans or chickpeas, often shaped into balls or patties and deep-fried or oven-baked. Preparation methods vary, with fava beans used in Egyptian cuisine and chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine. Falafel gained popularity across the Levant and the wider Middle East, often served during Ramadan. In Israel, the Palestinian chickpea falafel is considered a national dish, adopted by early Jewish immigrants. Falafel has gained global popularity as a vegetarian food in Europe, particularly Germany, and North America.
:::::This just seems to me to fit more with WP:NPOV and for summation purposes.
:::::2. In terms of Raviv, I understand he studied it significantly, but I think it would be more specific (according to him also) that it wasn't a Jewish Ashkenazi dish yet Syrian and Egyptian Jews did prepare and eat this dish. Specifically here: ''Falafel was never a specifically Jewish dish, but it was consumed by ] and ].'' Makes more sense. Also, one person is not enough experts on the topic, hence why I then brought this up:
:::::3. In terms of my Arab Organisations comment, I was referring to this sentence:.''..has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arab populations as amounting to ].'' I didn't mean to get this sentence confused with Raviv - they were too separate points.
:::::To someone reading the article who doesn't look at sources, I would want to see both sides of the spectrum.
:::::But I will get out of here now and leave it to some ECs to figure out :) ] (]) 11:27, 12 November 2023 (UTC)
:::::"Until recently" meaning almost all Middle East Countries were created by Europe recently? ] (]) 22:20, 5 June 2024 (UTC)
::::Sorry, will put in ''italics'' next time. Just wanted to create the distinction. ] (]) 10:58, 12 November 2023 (UTC)
:::::@] :) ] (]) 11:30, 12 November 2023 (UTC)


::: Raviv writes in citation “The Jewish population in Palestine, the early halutzim, or pioneers - adopted the local Arab version made with childpeas. By the 1920’s falafel had become a popular snack with the younger generation." That does not directly correspond to the citation, which implies it is a Palestinian dish, with Palestinian referencing the modern usage of the term. In the 1920's the "Palestinians" were the people who lived in Palestine, including Jews, and Raviv is directly referencing the Jews in her paper. The citation should be removed, or it should be clarified that by "Palestinian, Raviv was referring to the Halutzim. <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) 22:28, 19 January 2024 (UTC)</small><!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
== Dispute over statement, "Israeli entrepreneurs brought falafel to Europe and the United States sometime in the 1970s." and citation ==
::You are denying the whole history and culture of the Mizrahi Jewry.
::That paragraph is discriminatory, zero neutral and against the idea of wikipedia.
::https://en.m.wikipedia.org/Mizrahi_Jews ] (]) 22:17, 5 June 2024 (UTC)
:::In terms of WP, it seems like ], similar to autism/vaccine denial. The rest of the world's billions do not associate falafel with "appropriation".]] 14:58, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
:I agree, especially since there seem to be several different theories and viewpoints, and dearth of any sources mentioning it before the 19th century. The summary of it certainly is phrased in a way that's opinion as fact. I agree that it's not necessary in the lede altogether and move to strike the whole sentence and keep the controversy sequestered where it belongs.
:Stampfer has an interesting viewpoint, which is that the deep-fried ball version in a pita pocket with tomato, which is certainly what would be called the iconic Israeli version of the dish, really couldn't have been created before the 20th century.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210414213438/https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-food-wars-did-jews-invent-falafel-after-all-1.5429673</ref>
::"Traditional Middle Eastern breads are dipped in sauces or used as a wrap. European baking technology that came to the Middle East in the late 19th century made the pocket pita possible. At the same time, inexpensive frying oil became available and a fried croquette that was popular in India was naturalized in the Middle East and given the name ‘falafel’."
::"At this time, the tomato, which had recently been introduced to the Middle East, began to be used for salad. The combination of pocket pita, falafel balls and vegetable salad, with a bit of tahini added, came into being in the 20th century."<ref>https://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/the-secret-lives-of-bagels-and-falafel/2015/11/16/</ref>
:Stampfer criticizes the culinary nationalism debate, saying most modern foods in general aren't such ancient recipes. I think that perspective is perfectly valid and certainly matches pre-controversy usage, i.e. the subject of the criticism. --] (]) 18:37, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
::Sorry, @], who are you agreeing with? It looks like you're agreeing with Macrakis 7 Sept 2023, is that what you intended? ] (]) 20:06, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::No, I meant to agree with the top post. Let me fix that. ] (]) 20:16, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
::::When it gets this far down, just include mention who you're agreeing with. "I agree with 82 IP's OP" or whatever. That way people don't have to try to figure it out after thirty intervening posts. ] (]) 20:21, 23 October 2024 (UTC)


== Neutrality Tag ==
First of all this is my first contribution to a discussion page so please forgive me if I miss some procedure or protocol. I was lead to this page as a result of coming across an inaccuracy in this article. As a long-time Misplaced Pages user who appreciates the immense value of the site, I felt compelled to have it corrected. After looking in the help section on disputes and reading Misplaced Pages:Third opinion, I was informed that this was the first place to begin such a discussion.


Can’t believe its come to this, but with serious battleground behaviors being exhibited on this page, I’m placing a neutrality tag on the page until actual balanced consensus can be achieved on the political implications of falafel.
The sentence in the article that is not entirely correct and in fact misleading is, "Israeli entrepreneurs brought falafel to Europe and the United States sometime in the 1970s.", which can be found under the heading '''History''' and the subheading '''Middle-East'''.


There are clear biases that are being railroaded into the edit. The largest Jewish ethnic subgroup in Israel are Jews from Muslim and Arab countries, yet accusations of cultural appropriation from both Palestinians and “other arab populations” are being given emphasis in the lede without any grounds for counterpoint? Not remotely neutral. ] (]) 20:44, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
I have two issues with the statement.
:Please provide something other than personal opinion to justify the tag. Please explain why what several reliable sources discuss should not be included. Please explain why when ] says we should include noteworthy controversies about a topic in the lead you think we should remove them. And please do so with sources. ''']''' - 21:00, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
::Because the representation of the controversy is one-sided, and excludes counter information now only available in the body that then flatly mischaracterizes the nature of the controversy. I’m putting the tag back on. ] (]) 23:13, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
:I've been doing some work on the article, do you still feel it is POV, Mistamystery? Falafel most likely originated in Egypt but the time is unknown; some say ancient, some say modern. It predates the modern states Israel or Palestine, or many of the nations on the present Middle Eastern map. Egyptians, Yemenites and others from the Arab world brought it to Israel. Other civilizations have a falafel inherited via the Egyptians: the Persians and the Greeks, who aren't Arab, but also had contact and their own spin on falafel. ''']'''<span style="border:2px solid #073642;background:rgb(255,156,0);background:linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(255,156,0,1) 0%, rgba(147,0,255,1) 45%, rgba(4,123,134,1) 87%);">]</span> 00:14, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
:This neutrality tag was not helpful and I have removed it. See ]—] 10:23, 24 December 2023 (UTC)
::I agree the tag is not helpful. I believe Mistamystery was saying that the lead doesn't need to include the accusation of cultural appropriation. I think I agree. Can we remove that from the lead? It would of course remain in the body. Is this really one of the most notable aspects of Falafel? Can't we all share this food that everyone inherited probably from ancient Egyptians, who were neither Arab Palestinians nor Jewish Israelis? ''']'''<span style="border:2px solid #073642;background:rgb(255,156,0);background:linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(255,156,0,1) 0%, rgba(147,0,255,1) 45%, rgba(4,123,134,1) 87%);">]</span> 10:25, 24 December 2023 (UTC)
:::I want to be very clear: the lede is not neutral and does not present a balanced view of the "controversy" (which I also do not think is sufficient to be included in the lede at all). This is why the neutrality tag needs to be restored and the above comments do not counter why I put it there in the first place. I merely
:::left the convo for a few days and someone took the silence as grounds to remove it without actually addressing the clear issue.
:::The point-counterpoint is not "Israelis consider it to be a national dish but Palestinians/Arabs consider that to be cultural appropriation" is not remotely balanced. The "Israelis" being referenced includes Jews from Arab countries (including Egypt, where falafel originates from), so it is non-sensical to place a claim of Arabs making accusation of cultural appropriation without counter-mention of the Arab Jewish influence on Israeli cuisine and dietary attitudes.
:::Until this specifically is resolved (plus resurgent coatrack concerns all over the page that are an attempt to turn it into a PIA conflict battleground), then no, I do not consider this page to have resolved its neutrality issues. I will be (again) restoring the neutrality tag shortly until this is resolved, and will be happy to pull in an admin for feedback. ] (]) 21:02, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
:::The controversy isn't about shared cuisine: it is about appropriation and lack of attribution of the origins of certain dishes. If a dish is thought to have originated in Egypt, it can reasonably be construed as "Egyptian"; but if an Egyptian moves to country X, taking that dish with them, it is not necessarily reasonable to then construe that dish as "country X-ish" in turn. ] (]) 23:56, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
::::I recently had to remove a quote that someone had added into this article which referred to those who supposedly were “appropriating” the cuisine as “criminals and misfits from American jewish ghettoes”, which I think both illuminates the core issue here (insofar as a distinct and venomous pseudo-legitimized bias finding its way both into sources and discourse on the subject) as well as a clear (and questionable) agenda certain editors are attempting to push here that - in spite of people’s appreciable frustration with all things Israel and Israelis - just simply does not add up.
::::There is no dispute as to the genesis of falafel becoming an Israeli national dish. It was already widely consumed across the Arab world (including by Jews living both inside of pre-1900 Palestine, as well as across the middle east). When Jewish migration started to rise in the 19th century, cuisines were carried along from one location to another, new ones were adopted and adapted and modified and collided into the eclectic mix of influences that defines Israeli cuisine today. As a new community, and later national cuisine started to formulate itself, falafel (alongside many other popularly consumed dishes with influences from far and wide) came to be considered a staple dish.
::::The lede does not currently say “Palestinians”, it says “Palestinians and Arabs” criticize this cultural appropriation, which in effect creates set up a lose-lose nexus that is profoundly unacademic, and nefariously so in its insistence that it somehow is a legitimate argument worthwhile of an article lede. A Jewish Israeli who ate chickpea-based falafel in Yemen and continued to do so in Israel is now an “appropriator” in Israel, when he wasn’t one in Yemen?
::::This argument attempts to say “Israeli cuisine” is at fault, but clearly - given that it attempts to make no account for both the majority of Jewish Israelis who migrated from the Middle East and have often historically included falafel in their diet, or the 20% of Israelis who are Arabs - it is nothing but a byword for the toxic, highly politicized distortive bias that “Israeli” only means “European Ashkenazi Jew”…which we all know it very much doesn’t, and just mathematically is not the case.
::::None of the sources on the page imply there is any dispute as to the trajectory of falafel dishes. Nor do any of the sources indicate any Israelis are claiming they invented falafel. Nor are there any sources claiming that the concept of falafel as a “national dish” preceded its popularity. It was a popular, cheap street food that grew in popularity alongside many other dishes that were influenced by the collision of subcultures happening at the time in the region.
::::For it to be cultural appropriation the accusation would have to be applied evenly to all potential appropriators, and that just isn’t the case here. There is a bottlenecked and distorted fixation on one particular group, and we all well know what that is, and is sure as shootin’ isn’t academic or remotely NPOV.
::::This theory is frankly very much WP:FRINGE and is nothing but a convenient coatrack for people’s general grievances around the conflict. It doesn’t mean we indulge it here.
::::Someone just make a “food disputes” page or a “cultural appropriation in food” page and let us be done of this in this location. It’s super inappropriate. ] (]) 02:01, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
:::::Claims of cultural appropriation are subjective and have been attributed as such. It sounds like you disagree with the claims - that's fine as many cases of cultural appropriation and the concept itself ]. ''']''' <sub>]</sub> 18:07, 31 December 2023 (UTC)


I am pointing out an inaccuracy. The page states "The Association of Lebanese Industrialists in 2008 brought a lawsuit against Israel seeking damages for lost revenues, claiming copyright infringement regarding the branding of Israeli falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, and other foods." when in fact there is no evidence that such a law suit was ever brought forward. The citations simply refer to a quote about a plan to bring forward a lawsuit about copyright violations. I could find no reference to an actual lawsuit or a resolution or settlement to a lawsuit over copyright violation. This entire portion should be removed as inaccurate, or should be altered to say that such a lawsuit was considered but not brought forward. <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) 21:40, 19 January 2024 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
The first is personal. As a Canadian who grew up in the 60's & 70's I had the opportunity to eat Falafel in several cities throughout my childhood both in Canada and in The United States. On each of these occasions, the only falafel available were sold in Lebanese restaurants that were owned and operated by Lebanese immigrants and in one case, Palestinians. There were no Israeli restaurants in Vancouver, Edmonton, or Toronto (3 cities in the top 5 largest urban areas in Canada) nor Seattle, or Portland at that time.


== DENIAL.OF THE HISTORY OF JEWS OF ORIENTAL AND SPANISH ORIGIN. ==
I distinctly remember the novelty as friends, family, and neighbours were all delighted with the introduction of falefel in these cities. When I came across the aforementioned inaccuracy purporting that Israelis were solely responsible for this deed, I sought to edit the sentence to include Lebanese and Palestinians. I did this by an edit on -
19:33, 31 August 2011 2.158.148.75 (talk) (25,188 bytes) (→Middle East) (undo)


The paragraph about cultural apropiation is clearly discrminating the descendents of the thousands of Jewish of non European origins that lived in Northen Africa,,Egypt, and the whole Middle East, their own history and the history of their families.
which read to include:
The article is not neutral and heavily biased, ruining the whole idea of Misplaced Pages for political issues.
This is not the standard of a neutral and unbiased colective construction of knowledge. ] (]) 22:11, 5 June 2024 (UTC)


:@], would you like to make a suggestion? ] (]) 14:56, 7 June 2024 (UTC)
“Palestinian, Israeli, and Lebanese entrepreneurs brought falafel to Europe and the United States sometime in the 1970s. ”


== Lede ==
Israel may indeed have been responsible for participating in introducing the falafel to North America, but certainly by no means was exclusively responsible for it. Unfortunately, the edit to the page was quickly reverted.


{{ping|TrulyShruti}} Please note that the inclusion of this material to the lede is based on the ] guideline which states that the lede is a summary of the body including any prominent controversies of which this is clearly one. This has already been discussed. ] (]) 14:31, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
My second reason for taking issue with the same statement came when I linked to its citation to verify it’s validity and found that it did not meet the guidelines stipulated by Misplaced Pages as it lacked scholarly consensus, a reference to studies, or historical data. The citation was in fact nothing more than a statement included in an “Lifestyle” opinion piece labelled, “a fact sheet”, by an author who has no experience in culinary history but is rather a Content Specialist & SEO Consultant with a background in IT and a BA, Bsc, in Political Science & Computer Science.
:Restored to lead. ''']''' - 15:50, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
:It is not prominent in the world mainstream discussion of falafel. This has long failed to gain consensus for the lead, and it should not appear there until consensus is explicit.]] 16:02, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
::There has been a consensus, you not liking that consensus but failing to achieve one to overturn it is a personal problem. ''']''' - 16:53, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
:::Please give a link that demonstrates explicit consensus for this lead text. It's repeatedly been challenged by various editors.]] 19:24, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
::::You were ] the last time this was discussed. The sources, and the majority of editors, are on one side. You are on the other. Being challenged by various editors who either ignore or misrepresent the sourcing does not change that consensus. If you would like to try to establish a new one feel free. ''']''' - 19:33, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
:::::Nableezy, the link you provided demonstrates a failed attempt to elevate the grievance. No consensus was achieved there. Also, please try not to personalize talk page content discussions.]] 16:24, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
::::::I haven’t. And nope, it shows a majority of users and all the sources supporting this and a few users demanding we not follow ] which requires the inclusion of noteworthy controversies. ''']''' - 16:34, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
:::::I removed the content too. Consensus can change, of course. This is an unnecessary politicization of a cuisine-related article that doesn't belong in the lead section, where readers expect a straightforward introduction to the dish, instead of political wars over food. Controversies should remain where they belong, in the controversy section. ] (]) 09:00, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
:::::::Its inappropriate and presents a false view to have the inventors and native eaters of a dish in the same position as someone who adopted it. The history and background must be presented when there is text about the country that adopted it. Including the lede. ---] (]) 16:36, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
::::::That’s absurd, this is stable content for a decade and the lead summarizes the article, including the controversy section. ''']''' - 10:56, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
:::::::Agreed, no arguments based in WP policy have been made against its inclusion as well. ] (]) 18:35, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::All the "arguments" against are based on policy ]. Consensus can change, and in the case of this page it has changed due to the many new editors who previously did little editing relating to the mideast and now find themselves browsing this and other related pages. So "absurd" and other non-policy-based reasoning is not going to help.]] 20:58, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::Funny, since NPOV requires the inclusion of all significant views and a bunch of highly reliable sources have been provided to show this to be one. And lead requires in the inclusion of noteworthy controversies and again a bunch of highly reliable sources have shown this to be one. The effort to ignore the sources and the policies should be ignored. ''']''' - 00:54, 11 August 2024 (UTC)


== Kahn Bar-Adon's lament ==
^ a b c d Galili, Shooky (July 4, 2007). "Falafel fact sheet". Ynet News. Retrieved February 6, 2011.


We've got {{xt|Dafna Hirsch of the Open University of Israel, wrote: "Despite Kahn Bar-Adon's lament,}} but we make no mention of what that lament was (or why it matters what Bar-Adon thought, although I did hunt her down). Does anyone have access to Hirsch's piece? It's here.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hirsch |first1=Dafna |date=November 2011 |title="Hummus is best when it is fresh and made by Arabs": The gourmetization of hummus in Israel and the return of the repressed Arab |url=https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1548-1425.2011.01326.x |journal=American Ethnologist |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=619–621 |doi=10.1111/j.1548-1425.2011.01326.x |doi-access=free}}</ref> ] (]) 13:43, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
The cited article is found in an Israeli heavily biased website. From its homepage self-described as, “Ynetnews is the English-language sister-site to YNET. Israel's largest and most popular news and content website.”


:Ping {{u|Carlstak}}, who added the content. ] (]) 14:43, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
Nowhere in the cited article does Galili, Shooky backup up his statement about Israel entrepreneurs being responsible for the introduction of the falafel to the United States with any supporting facts or background information. And as such is the case it doesn’t seem to qualify as an acceptable citation that meets with Misplaced Pages’s more stringent requirements.


{{reflist talk}}
On September 16, 2011 I decided to strike the sentence from the article with the following edit:


::I discussed this in in response to the "‎COATRACK and UNDUE?" discussion in replying to a comment by SPECIFICO, as you can see: "Have to disagree, it has ''everything'' to do with falafel because of the cultural symbolism, whether developed organically or synthetically, inherent in almost every aspect. The food itself has been politicized in Israel, so that should be addressed in the article, as well as the fact that even some Jewish Israelis, such as Dafna Hirsch, an authority on Israeli food culture and food history, calls its cultural appropriation from Palestinians just that. Her writing is not a ''complaint'' from Palestinians, it's a description of reality from an Israeli Jew." I have access to the article, and I'm looking at it now, but I'm busy working; just saw this on my lunch break. If this issue is being relitigated ad infinitum, I'm out. 18:24, 10 August 2024 (UTC) <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) </small>
17:07, 16 September 2011 94.167.209.216 (talk) (24,484 bytes) (Removed: how falafel came to North America. Sentence/citation were opinion-based from an Israeli-biased “lifestyle” piece without facts/studies/or scholarly consensus to back it up, not meeting Misplaced Pages’s standards of credibility for citations) (undo)
:::{{u|Carlstak}}, I'm only asking if you still have access to this source, as I don't, so we can know what the "lament" was. ] (]) 19:09, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
::::Here's the relevant paragraph:
:::::Palmach members apart, prior to the second half of the 1940s, hummus was largely unknown to most Jews in Palestine. In a piece titled “Oriental Gourmet: Lamb, Tehina, Humas,” journalist Dorothy Khan Bar-Adon lamented that “since the outbreak of war domestic science institutions have been advocating the use of local products, popular with the Orientals, and cheap, nourishing and tasty. But probably only the sheerest necessity will make a dent in the wall of resistance. Food habits cling. There are many Eastern Europeans who have never learned to eat olives!” (1941).
:::::I am subscribed to this section, so you needn't ping me. ] (]) 00:59, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
:::::Thank you! ] (]) 11:22, 11 August 2024 (UTC)


== Palestinian version ==
Again, the Edit was promptly reverted.


{{ping|SPECIFICO}} Clearly, it is not exclusively Palestinian; but it is indeed the context from which Israel had appropriated this version from. Why did you remove it? ] (]) 18:35, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
Which brings me to this post. The information in the sentence is not correct. I’m not sure what is needed to rectify it and give Misplaced Pages readers the truth. Now that I have brought this issue to the attention of Misplaced Pages, I hope I have detailed the issue correctly as I should have. I would be grateful for any kind advice on what I must do next to see the sentence edited to correctly describe the accurate introduction of falafel into North America. Reading the sentence as it is today not only gives people false information but also is an affront to my childhood memories of eating delicious Lebanese falafels in the Lebanese restaurants that began to spring up in North America in the 1970’s. Thanks for your direction. ] (]) 19:42, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
:We can't make up a fakefact, clearly not a fact if I read your post right, to fit an interpretation about "appropriated" etc.
:What you would need to change the sentence is a reliable source per ] (like Ynet, even if you think it's biased) supporting the information you'd like to add or contradicting the information already in the article. Your childhood memories can not be used as a basis for editing wikipedia. ] (]) 21:28, 16 September 2011 (UTC)
:Maybe the first falafel was shared with pride, love, and respect by an Arab Israeli citizen at a neighborhood gathering.
:I don't see appropriation at our ] ] or ], or ] article pages. I've previously addressed the ]. I think it's a reasonable suggestion, as others have noted, to create a ] page, which could discuss its popularity around the world and the expressions of grievance and reactions to such feelings, worldwide.
:A more obvious example of culinary influence on Jewish culture would be the Ashkenazi Jews' ] to mimic indiginous Eastern European dumplings.
:Of all the tragedies of the mideast region over the past 100 years, this is pretty far down on the list in the global mainstream view. The exaggerated grievance and elevation of the falafel as a symbol of the more essential and enduring issues has nothing to do with falafel, as {{ping|Valereee}} has articulated. The weaponization of falafel trivializes the underlying issues.]] 20:49, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
::What matters is the source, not your unsourced ramblings about irrelevant things like meatballs. What Raviv 2003 says is {{xt|Falafel is generally made from fava beans (as in Egypt, where it is also known as Ta’amia), from chickpeas (the ver-sion traditional to Palestine and encountered in Israel today), or from a combination of the two.}} Palestinian should be restored and this effort to disregard the sources ignored. ''']''' - 00:48, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
::This seems to be a case in which personal opinions are being used to justify ignoring RS: "The falafel that Zionist settlers eventually came to claim as their national food was made by Palestinians first. It belongs to a family of fritters made with fava beans, or chickpeas in the Palestinian version, that had long been shared throughout the Arab Eastern Mediterranean, from Alexandria and Port Said in Egypt to Beirut in Lebanon."
::On a side note, this would be relevant: "Kassis focuses the book on food and kin; in an opinion piece she wrote in February for the Washington Post, she gave voice to the objections raised by many Palestinians over the notion of “Israeli cuisine.” “By and large, the dishes that make up the Israeli ‘national food’ repertoire (hummus, falafel, msabaha, baba ghanoush, knafeh) were learned from the Palestinian population,” she wrote. “In many restaurants and cookbooks, Israelis have no problem including such items as ‘Yemeni schug,’ ‘Iraqi sabich’ or ‘Tunisian salad.’ But the absence of the word ‘Palestinian’ from their menus and books is a glaring omission. As many Israeli academics and food writers themselves have pointed out, the word ‘Palestinian’ is still considered by many Israelis as a threat to their existence.”" ] (]) 09:40, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
:::{{tq|the word ‘Palestinian’ is still considered by many Israelis as a threat to their existence}} Kentucky Fried Chicken did not originate in Kentucky! Shakespeare appropriated ] from the Greeks without attribution - presaging the British imperialism that plagued humanity for centuries.
:::My personal opinion is that "cultural appropriation" has been not only one of the principal engines of human progress -- starting with the Christian and Muslim appropriation of Hebraic teaching -- but has also driven outcomes of eventual integration and respect among disparate cultures. Some folks may be too close to the issue to see it in perspective. So, I leave you to your falafel. Adieu.]] 13:32, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
::::Misplaced Pages is not the place for your personal opinions. I don’t want to know them and ] means I don’t need to be burdened with them. Kindly stop disrupting the purpose of this page, which is to discuss the article on ], not our personal views on irrelevant topics. ''']''' - 13:46, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
::::Your personal opinion, while entirely irrelevant and as already pointed out strongly discouraged from being argued for here, is -whether in purpose or absence of knowledge- lacking the context of the settler colonial nature of Zionism against the indigenous Palestinian population. This is why we have RS, which contextualizes these disputes and gives a sound judgement on them, which we can then reflect on WP. ] (]) 14:35, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
:::::To ]: Somebody claimed without evidence that I post here from my personal opinion, so I corrected the record on that. Full stop. The problem is that falafel is not a crime, it's a foodstuff. The controversy has its own extensive discussion in a page initiated by our colleague Valereee. On this page it's ] that has baffled most uninvolved editors and readers.]] 15:15, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
::::::Are you under the impression that having a dedicated article on a subtopic makes it less noteworthy? Huh. You know that coatracking is about including things not related to the subject, and what we include is things related to the subject, right? ''']''' - 15:42, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
::::::{{ping|SPECIFICO}} The actual wrap up of this discussion is that the removal of the word "Palestinian" from the context of Israeli "adoption" of the food is contrary to RS, and that "I leave you to your falafel" is an implicit non-objection to its restoration? ] (]) 09:25, 12 August 2024 (UTC)

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Inappropriate paragraph

This paragraph in the introduction is inappropriate and should be removed: The Palestinian chickpea-only version of the falafel has also been adopted into Israeli cuisine, where it now features prominently and is proclaimed as the country's national dish – a situation which has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese, and other Arab groups alike as amounting to cultural appropriation. 82.19.192.8 (talk) 17:40, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

Why do you object to it? It is well sourced and I believe factually correct. Do you deny that there is debate about the cultural appropriation of Arab foods by Israelis? The phrasing is I think WP:NPOV, not taking sides on the issue. --Macrakis (talk) 17:55, 7 September 2023 (UTC)
Citation needed that Israel appropriated food. Israel is a middle eastern culture just like the others. 64.121.35.108 (talk) 13:00, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
Hi Macrakis, I think there is debate because there are Jews from several Arab lands who have settled in Israel therefore, not true cultural appropriation. Either more sources or different wording is needed. Chavmen (talk) 03:58, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
this is blatantly antisemitic Davidatlasdavidatlas (talk) 14:28, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
Here are some constructive suggestions and comment:
The Palestinian chickpea-only version of the falafel has also been adopted into Israeli cuisine, where it now features prominently and is proclaimed as the country's national dish. MISLEADING AND NOT NECESSARY FOR LEDE. DOESN'T READ AS NEUTRAL.
History:
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. THERE WERE JEWS THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST INCLUDING A SMALL POPULATION IN PALESTINE. THEREFORE STATING THE FOLLOWING:
The identification of Falafel with Israeli cuisine has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arab populations as amounting to cultural appropriation.
SEEMS CONTRADICTORY.
ALSO, RAVIV IS THE ONLY SCHOLARLY SOURCE CITING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION ALONG WITH OTHER ARAB ORGANISATIONS.
CONSIDERING...it was consumed by Syrian and Egyptian Jews AND was adopted in the diet of early Jewish immigrants to the Jewish communities of Ottoman Syria. WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO STATE JEWS AND ARABS CONSUMED/MADE FALAFEL AT VARIOUS POINTS THROUGHOUT HISTORY IN LEDE.
Thoughts? Chavmen (talk) 09:20, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
The main note that I have on the above is: read WP:SHOUT. Iskandar323 (talk) 11:06, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
Of course Arab Jews (as well as Arab Christians etc.) in Egypt and the Levant ate falafel, but it was not regarded as a distinctively Jewish dish until recently. Treating falafel as a "national food" makes a claim about its distinctiveness.
Not sure what your point about the "lamenting" part is. This is an WP:NPOV statement, not claiming in WP's voice that it is cultural appropriation, just reporting on what others say. Do you disagree that others say this?
Not sure what you mean by Raviv "and other Arab organizations". Raviv is an Israeli-American scholar who has researched this issue and published it as a book and as far as I know has nothing to do with Arab organizations. --Macrakis (talk) 11:20, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
Hi Macrakis, I'll try to be more specific.
  1. If the lede is a summary, then it would make more sense, judging by the article and each section to say something like this:
Falafel is a popular dish with a disputed origin, likely originating in Egypt and later spreading to the Middle East. The name is derived from the Arabic word for pepper. The dish involves fritters made from fava beans or chickpeas, often shaped into balls or patties and deep-fried or oven-baked. Preparation methods vary, with fava beans used in Egyptian cuisine and chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine. Falafel gained popularity across the Levant and the wider Middle East, often served during Ramadan. In Israel, the Palestinian chickpea falafel is considered a national dish, adopted by early Jewish immigrants. Falafel has gained global popularity as a vegetarian food in Europe, particularly Germany, and North America.
This just seems to me to fit more with WP:NPOV and for summation purposes.
2. In terms of Raviv, I understand he studied it significantly, but I think it would be more specific (according to him also) that it wasn't a Jewish Ashkenazi dish yet Syrian and Egyptian Jews did prepare and eat this dish. Specifically here: Falafel was never a specifically Jewish dish, but it was consumed by Syrian and Egyptian Jews. Makes more sense. Also, one person is not enough experts on the topic, hence why I then brought this up:
3. In terms of my Arab Organisations comment, I was referring to this sentence:...has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arab populations as amounting to cultural appropriation. I didn't mean to get this sentence confused with Raviv - they were too separate points.
To someone reading the article who doesn't look at sources, I would want to see both sides of the spectrum.
But I will get out of here now and leave it to some ECs to figure out :) Chavmen (talk) 11:27, 12 November 2023 (UTC)
"Until recently" meaning almost all Middle East Countries were created by Europe recently? Alexfrombonn (talk) 22:20, 5 June 2024 (UTC)
Sorry, will put in italics next time. Just wanted to create the distinction. Chavmen (talk) 10:58, 12 November 2023 (UTC)
@Iskandar323 :) Chavmen (talk) 11:30, 12 November 2023 (UTC)
Raviv writes in citation “The Jewish population in Palestine, the early halutzim, or pioneers - adopted the local Arab version made with childpeas. By the 1920’s falafel had become a popular snack with the younger generation." That does not directly correspond to the citation, which implies it is a Palestinian dish, with Palestinian referencing the modern usage of the term. In the 1920's the "Palestinians" were the people who lived in Palestine, including Jews, and Raviv is directly referencing the Jews in her paper. The citation should be removed, or it should be clarified that by "Palestinian, Raviv was referring to the Halutzim. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Psycholing (talkcontribs) 22:28, 19 January 2024 (UTC)
You are denying the whole history and culture of the Mizrahi Jewry.
That paragraph is discriminatory, zero neutral and against the idea of wikipedia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/Mizrahi_Jews Alexfrombonn (talk) 22:17, 5 June 2024 (UTC)
In terms of WP, it seems like WP:FRINGE, similar to autism/vaccine denial. The rest of the world's billions do not associate falafel with "appropriation". SPECIFICO talk 14:58, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
I agree, especially since there seem to be several different theories and viewpoints, and dearth of any sources mentioning it before the 19th century. The summary of it certainly is phrased in a way that's opinion as fact. I agree that it's not necessary in the lede altogether and move to strike the whole sentence and keep the controversy sequestered where it belongs.
Stampfer has an interesting viewpoint, which is that the deep-fried ball version in a pita pocket with tomato, which is certainly what would be called the iconic Israeli version of the dish, really couldn't have been created before the 20th century.
"Traditional Middle Eastern breads are dipped in sauces or used as a wrap. European baking technology that came to the Middle East in the late 19th century made the pocket pita possible. At the same time, inexpensive frying oil became available and a fried croquette that was popular in India was naturalized in the Middle East and given the name ‘falafel’."
"At this time, the tomato, which had recently been introduced to the Middle East, began to be used for salad. The combination of pocket pita, falafel balls and vegetable salad, with a bit of tahini added, came into being in the 20th century."
Stampfer criticizes the culinary nationalism debate, saying most modern foods in general aren't such ancient recipes. I think that perspective is perfectly valid and certainly matches pre-controversy usage, i.e. the subject of the criticism. --Scharb (talk) 18:37, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
Sorry, @Scharb, who are you agreeing with? It looks like you're agreeing with Macrakis 7 Sept 2023, is that what you intended? Valereee (talk) 20:06, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
No, I meant to agree with the top post. Let me fix that. Scharb (talk) 20:16, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
When it gets this far down, just include mention who you're agreeing with. "I agree with 82 IP's OP" or whatever. That way people don't have to try to figure it out after thirty intervening posts. Valereee (talk) 20:21, 23 October 2024 (UTC)

Neutrality Tag

Can’t believe its come to this, but with serious battleground behaviors being exhibited on this page, I’m placing a neutrality tag on the page until actual balanced consensus can be achieved on the political implications of falafel.

There are clear biases that are being railroaded into the edit. The largest Jewish ethnic subgroup in Israel are Jews from Muslim and Arab countries, yet accusations of cultural appropriation from both Palestinians and “other arab populations” are being given emphasis in the lede without any grounds for counterpoint? Not remotely neutral. Mistamystery (talk) 20:44, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

Please provide something other than personal opinion to justify the tag. Please explain why what several reliable sources discuss should not be included. Please explain why when WP:LEAD says we should include noteworthy controversies about a topic in the lead you think we should remove them. And please do so with sources. nableezy - 21:00, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
Because the representation of the controversy is one-sided, and excludes counter information now only available in the body that then flatly mischaracterizes the nature of the controversy. I’m putting the tag back on. Mistamystery (talk) 23:13, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
I've been doing some work on the article, do you still feel it is POV, Mistamystery? Falafel most likely originated in Egypt but the time is unknown; some say ancient, some say modern. It predates the modern states Israel or Palestine, or many of the nations on the present Middle Eastern map. Egyptians, Yemenites and others from the Arab world brought it to Israel. Other civilizations have a falafel inherited via the Egyptians: the Persians and the Greeks, who aren't Arab, but also had contact and their own spin on falafel. Andre🚐 00:14, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
This neutrality tag was not helpful and I have removed it. See Special:Diff/1191574503Alalch E. 10:23, 24 December 2023 (UTC)
I agree the tag is not helpful. I believe Mistamystery was saying that the lead doesn't need to include the accusation of cultural appropriation. I think I agree. Can we remove that from the lead? It would of course remain in the body. Is this really one of the most notable aspects of Falafel? Can't we all share this food that everyone inherited probably from ancient Egyptians, who were neither Arab Palestinians nor Jewish Israelis? Andre🚐 10:25, 24 December 2023 (UTC)
I want to be very clear: the lede is not neutral and does not present a balanced view of the "controversy" (which I also do not think is sufficient to be included in the lede at all). This is why the neutrality tag needs to be restored and the above comments do not counter why I put it there in the first place. I merely
left the convo for a few days and someone took the silence as grounds to remove it without actually addressing the clear issue.
The point-counterpoint is not "Israelis consider it to be a national dish but Palestinians/Arabs consider that to be cultural appropriation" is not remotely balanced. The "Israelis" being referenced includes Jews from Arab countries (including Egypt, where falafel originates from), so it is non-sensical to place a claim of Arabs making accusation of cultural appropriation without counter-mention of the Arab Jewish influence on Israeli cuisine and dietary attitudes.
Until this specifically is resolved (plus resurgent coatrack concerns all over the page that are an attempt to turn it into a PIA conflict battleground), then no, I do not consider this page to have resolved its neutrality issues. I will be (again) restoring the neutrality tag shortly until this is resolved, and will be happy to pull in an admin for feedback. Mistamystery (talk) 21:02, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
The controversy isn't about shared cuisine: it is about appropriation and lack of attribution of the origins of certain dishes. If a dish is thought to have originated in Egypt, it can reasonably be construed as "Egyptian"; but if an Egyptian moves to country X, taking that dish with them, it is not necessarily reasonable to then construe that dish as "country X-ish" in turn. Iskandar323 (talk) 23:56, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
I recently had to remove a quote that someone had added into this article which referred to those who supposedly were “appropriating” the cuisine as “criminals and misfits from American jewish ghettoes”, which I think both illuminates the core issue here (insofar as a distinct and venomous pseudo-legitimized bias finding its way both into sources and discourse on the subject) as well as a clear (and questionable) agenda certain editors are attempting to push here that - in spite of people’s appreciable frustration with all things Israel and Israelis - just simply does not add up.
There is no dispute as to the genesis of falafel becoming an Israeli national dish. It was already widely consumed across the Arab world (including by Jews living both inside of pre-1900 Palestine, as well as across the middle east). When Jewish migration started to rise in the 19th century, cuisines were carried along from one location to another, new ones were adopted and adapted and modified and collided into the eclectic mix of influences that defines Israeli cuisine today. As a new community, and later national cuisine started to formulate itself, falafel (alongside many other popularly consumed dishes with influences from far and wide) came to be considered a staple dish.
The lede does not currently say “Palestinians”, it says “Palestinians and Arabs” criticize this cultural appropriation, which in effect creates set up a lose-lose nexus that is profoundly unacademic, and nefariously so in its insistence that it somehow is a legitimate argument worthwhile of an article lede. A Jewish Israeli who ate chickpea-based falafel in Yemen and continued to do so in Israel is now an “appropriator” in Israel, when he wasn’t one in Yemen?
This argument attempts to say “Israeli cuisine” is at fault, but clearly - given that it attempts to make no account for both the majority of Jewish Israelis who migrated from the Middle East and have often historically included falafel in their diet, or the 20% of Israelis who are Arabs - it is nothing but a byword for the toxic, highly politicized distortive bias that “Israeli” only means “European Ashkenazi Jew”…which we all know it very much doesn’t, and just mathematically is not the case.
None of the sources on the page imply there is any dispute as to the trajectory of falafel dishes. Nor do any of the sources indicate any Israelis are claiming they invented falafel. Nor are there any sources claiming that the concept of falafel as a “national dish” preceded its popularity. It was a popular, cheap street food that grew in popularity alongside many other dishes that were influenced by the collision of subcultures happening at the time in the region.
For it to be cultural appropriation the accusation would have to be applied evenly to all potential appropriators, and that just isn’t the case here. There is a bottlenecked and distorted fixation on one particular group, and we all well know what that is, and is sure as shootin’ isn’t academic or remotely NPOV.
This theory is frankly very much WP:FRINGE and is nothing but a convenient coatrack for people’s general grievances around the conflict. It doesn’t mean we indulge it here.
Someone just make a “food disputes” page or a “cultural appropriation in food” page and let us be done of this in this location. It’s super inappropriate. Mistamystery (talk) 02:01, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
Claims of cultural appropriation are subjective and have been attributed as such. It sounds like you disagree with the claims - that's fine as many cases of cultural appropriation and the concept itself is controversial. VR talk 18:07, 31 December 2023 (UTC)

I am pointing out an inaccuracy. The page states "The Association of Lebanese Industrialists in 2008 brought a lawsuit against Israel seeking damages for lost revenues, claiming copyright infringement regarding the branding of Israeli falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, and other foods." when in fact there is no evidence that such a law suit was ever brought forward. The citations simply refer to a quote about a plan to bring forward a lawsuit about copyright violations. I could find no reference to an actual lawsuit or a resolution or settlement to a lawsuit over copyright violation. This entire portion should be removed as inaccurate, or should be altered to say that such a lawsuit was considered but not brought forward. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Psycholing (talkcontribs) 21:40, 19 January 2024 (UTC)

DENIAL.OF THE HISTORY OF JEWS OF ORIENTAL AND SPANISH ORIGIN.

The paragraph about cultural apropiation is clearly discrminating the descendents of the thousands of Jewish of non European origins that lived in Northen Africa,,Egypt, and the whole Middle East, their own history and the history of their families. The article is not neutral and heavily biased, ruining the whole idea of Misplaced Pages for political issues. This is not the standard of a neutral and unbiased colective construction of knowledge. Alexfrombonn (talk) 22:11, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

@Alexfrombonn, would you like to make a suggestion? Valereee (talk) 14:56, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

Lede

@TrulyShruti: Please note that the inclusion of this material to the lede is based on the WP:LEDE guideline which states that the lede is a summary of the body including any prominent controversies of which this is clearly one. This has already been discussed. Makeandtoss (talk) 14:31, 9 August 2024 (UTC)

Restored to lead. nableezy - 15:50, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
It is not prominent in the world mainstream discussion of falafel. This has long failed to gain consensus for the lead, and it should not appear there until consensus is explicit. SPECIFICO talk 16:02, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
There has been a consensus, you not liking that consensus but failing to achieve one to overturn it is a personal problem. nableezy - 16:53, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
Please give a link that demonstrates explicit consensus for this lead text. It's repeatedly been challenged by various editors. SPECIFICO talk 19:24, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
You were there the last time this was discussed. The sources, and the majority of editors, are on one side. You are on the other. Being challenged by various editors who either ignore or misrepresent the sourcing does not change that consensus. If you would like to try to establish a new one feel free. nableezy - 19:33, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
Nableezy, the link you provided demonstrates a failed attempt to elevate the grievance. No consensus was achieved there. Also, please try not to personalize talk page content discussions. SPECIFICO talk 16:24, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
I haven’t. And nope, it shows a majority of users and all the sources supporting this and a few users demanding we not follow WP:LEAD which requires the inclusion of noteworthy controversies. nableezy - 16:34, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
I removed the content too. Consensus can change, of course. This is an unnecessary politicization of a cuisine-related article that doesn't belong in the lead section, where readers expect a straightforward introduction to the dish, instead of political wars over food. Controversies should remain where they belong, in the controversy section. PeleYoetz (talk) 09:00, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
Its inappropriate and presents a false view to have the inventors and native eaters of a dish in the same position as someone who adopted it. The history and background must be presented when there is text about the country that adopted it. Including the lede. ---Supreme Deliciousness (talk) 16:36, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
That’s absurd, this is stable content for a decade and the lead summarizes the article, including the controversy section. nableezy - 10:56, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
Agreed, no arguments based in WP policy have been made against its inclusion as well. Makeandtoss (talk) 18:35, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
All the "arguments" against are based on policy WP:NPOV. Consensus can change, and in the case of this page it has changed due to the many new editors who previously did little editing relating to the mideast and now find themselves browsing this and other related pages. So "absurd" and other non-policy-based reasoning is not going to help. SPECIFICO talk 20:58, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
Funny, since NPOV requires the inclusion of all significant views and a bunch of highly reliable sources have been provided to show this to be one. And lead requires in the inclusion of noteworthy controversies and again a bunch of highly reliable sources have shown this to be one. The effort to ignore the sources and the policies should be ignored. nableezy - 00:54, 11 August 2024 (UTC)

Kahn Bar-Adon's lament

We've got Dafna Hirsch of the Open University of Israel, wrote: "Despite Kahn Bar-Adon's lament, but we make no mention of what that lament was (or why it matters what Bar-Adon thought, although I did hunt her down). Does anyone have access to Hirsch's piece? It's here. Valereee (talk) 13:43, 10 August 2024 (UTC)

Ping Carlstak, who added the content. Valereee (talk) 14:43, 10 August 2024 (UTC)

References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20210414213438/https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-food-wars-did-jews-invent-falafel-after-all-1.5429673
  2. https://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/the-secret-lives-of-bagels-and-falafel/2015/11/16/
  3. Hirsch, Dafna (November 2011). ""Hummus is best when it is fresh and made by Arabs": The gourmetization of hummus in Israel and the return of the repressed Arab". American Ethnologist. 38 (4): 619–621. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1425.2011.01326.x.
I discussed this in this edit in response to the "‎COATRACK and UNDUE?" discussion in replying to a comment by SPECIFICO, as you can see: "Have to disagree, it has everything to do with falafel because of the cultural symbolism, whether developed organically or synthetically, inherent in almost every aspect. The food itself has been politicized in Israel, so that should be addressed in the article, as well as the fact that even some Jewish Israelis, such as Dafna Hirsch, an authority on Israeli food culture and food history, calls its cultural appropriation from Palestinians just that. Her writing is not a complaint from Palestinians, it's a description of reality from an Israeli Jew." I have access to the article, and I'm looking at it now, but I'm busy working; just saw this on my lunch break. If this issue is being relitigated ad infinitum, I'm out. 18:24, 10 August 2024 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Carlstak (talkcontribs)
Carlstak, I'm only asking if you still have access to this source, as I don't, so we can know what the "lament" was. Valereee (talk) 19:09, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
Here's the relevant paragraph:
Palmach members apart, prior to the second half of the 1940s, hummus was largely unknown to most Jews in Palestine. In a piece titled “Oriental Gourmet: Lamb, Tehina, Humas,” journalist Dorothy Khan Bar-Adon lamented that “since the outbreak of war domestic science institutions have been advocating the use of local products, popular with the Orientals, and cheap, nourishing and tasty. But probably only the sheerest necessity will make a dent in the wall of resistance. Food habits cling. There are many Eastern Europeans who have never learned to eat olives!” (1941).
I am subscribed to this section, so you needn't ping me. Carlstak (talk) 00:59, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
Thank you! Valereee (talk) 11:22, 11 August 2024 (UTC)

Palestinian version

@SPECIFICO: Clearly, it is not exclusively Palestinian; but it is indeed the context from which Israel had appropriated this version from. Why did you remove it? Makeandtoss (talk) 18:35, 10 August 2024 (UTC)

We can't make up a fakefact, clearly not a fact if I read your post right, to fit an interpretation about "appropriated" etc.
Maybe the first falafel was shared with pride, love, and respect by an Arab Israeli citizen at a neighborhood gathering.
I don't see appropriation at our meatball noodle or fried chicken, or tomato article pages. I've previously addressed the potato. I think it's a reasonable suggestion, as others have noted, to create a Appropiations of Falafel page, which could discuss its popularity around the world and the expressions of grievance and reactions to such feelings, worldwide.
A more obvious example of culinary influence on Jewish culture would be the Ashkenazi Jews' Matzo Ball to mimic indiginous Eastern European dumplings.
Of all the tragedies of the mideast region over the past 100 years, this is pretty far down on the list in the global mainstream view. The exaggerated grievance and elevation of the falafel as a symbol of the more essential and enduring issues has nothing to do with falafel, as @Valereee: has articulated. The weaponization of falafel trivializes the underlying issues. SPECIFICO talk 20:49, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
What matters is the source, not your unsourced ramblings about irrelevant things like meatballs. What Raviv 2003 says is Falafel is generally made from fava beans (as in Egypt, where it is also known as Ta’amia), from chickpeas (the ver-sion traditional to Palestine and encountered in Israel today), or from a combination of the two. Palestinian should be restored and this effort to disregard the sources ignored. nableezy - 00:48, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
This seems to be a case in which personal opinions are being used to justify ignoring RS: "The falafel that Zionist settlers eventually came to claim as their national food was made by Palestinians first. It belongs to a family of fritters made with fava beans, or chickpeas in the Palestinian version, that had long been shared throughout the Arab Eastern Mediterranean, from Alexandria and Port Said in Egypt to Beirut in Lebanon."
On a side note, this would be relevant: "Kassis focuses the book on food and kin; in an opinion piece she wrote in February for the Washington Post, she gave voice to the objections raised by many Palestinians over the notion of “Israeli cuisine.” “By and large, the dishes that make up the Israeli ‘national food’ repertoire (hummus, falafel, msabaha, baba ghanoush, knafeh) were learned from the Palestinian population,” she wrote. “In many restaurants and cookbooks, Israelis have no problem including such items as ‘Yemeni schug,’ ‘Iraqi sabich’ or ‘Tunisian salad.’ But the absence of the word ‘Palestinian’ from their menus and books is a glaring omission. As many Israeli academics and food writers themselves have pointed out, the word ‘Palestinian’ is still considered by many Israelis as a threat to their existence.”" Makeandtoss (talk) 09:40, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
the word ‘Palestinian’ is still considered by many Israelis as a threat to their existence Kentucky Fried Chicken did not originate in Kentucky! Shakespeare appropriated Tragedy from the Greeks without attribution - presaging the British imperialism that plagued humanity for centuries.
My personal opinion is that "cultural appropriation" has been not only one of the principal engines of human progress -- starting with the Christian and Muslim appropriation of Hebraic teaching -- but has also driven outcomes of eventual integration and respect among disparate cultures. Some folks may be too close to the issue to see it in perspective. So, I leave you to your falafel. Adieu. SPECIFICO talk 13:32, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
Misplaced Pages is not the place for your personal opinions. I don’t want to know them and WP:NOTFORUM means I don’t need to be burdened with them. Kindly stop disrupting the purpose of this page, which is to discuss the article on Falafel, not our personal views on irrelevant topics. nableezy - 13:46, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
Your personal opinion, while entirely irrelevant and as already pointed out strongly discouraged from being argued for here, is -whether in purpose or absence of knowledge- lacking the context of the settler colonial nature of Zionism against the indigenous Palestinian population. This is why we have RS, which contextualizes these disputes and gives a sound judgement on them, which we can then reflect on WP. Makeandtoss (talk) 14:35, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
To wrap this up: Somebody claimed without evidence that I post here from my personal opinion, so I corrected the record on that. Full stop. The problem is that falafel is not a crime, it's a foodstuff. The controversy has its own extensive discussion in a page initiated by our colleague Valereee. On this page it's WP:COATRACK that has baffled most uninvolved editors and readers. SPECIFICO talk 15:15, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
Are you under the impression that having a dedicated article on a subtopic makes it less noteworthy? Huh. You know that coatracking is about including things not related to the subject, and what we include is things related to the subject, right? nableezy - 15:42, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
@SPECIFICO: The actual wrap up of this discussion is that the removal of the word "Palestinian" from the context of Israeli "adoption" of the food is contrary to RS, and that "I leave you to your falafel" is an implicit non-objection to its restoration? Makeandtoss (talk) 09:25, 12 August 2024 (UTC)
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