Easy Lebanese Falafel Recipe
Hello and welcome to another episode of Uncle Bill's Kitchen! Today, we are going to delve into the wonder that is a Falafel Pita Sandwich. This recipe is one of my all time go to vegetarian dishes and is sure to please the foodies in your life.
Falafel (/fษหlษหfษl/; Arabic: ููุงููโ, [fรฆหlรฆหfษชl] is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, commonly served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as taboon; "falafel" also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze tray (assortment of appetizers).
Falafel is eaten throughout the Middle East and is a common street food. Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egypt and with chickpeas in the Levant. It is popular with vegetarians world-wide.
History
The origin of falafel is controversial. The dish most likely originated in Egypt, possibly influenced by similar Indian dishes. There is a legend that a fava bean version was eaten by Copts as early as the 4th century during Lent, but there is no documentary evidence for this. It has been speculated that its history may go back to Pharaonic Egypt. However, the earliest written references to falafel from Egyptian sources date to the 19th century, and oil was probably too expensive to use for deep frying in ancient Egypt.
As Alexandria is a port city, it was possible to export the dish and name to other areas in the Middle East. The dish later migrated northwards to the Levant, where chickpeas replaced the fava beans.
Middle East
Falafel is a common form of street food or fast food in Egypt as well as the Levant. The croquettes are regularly eaten as part of meze. During Ramadan, falafel balls are sometimes eaten as part of the iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset. Falafel became so popular that McDonald's for a time served a "McFalafel" in its breakfast menu all over Egypt. Falafel is still popular with the Copts, who cook large volumes during religious holidays.
Debates over the history of falafel have sometimes devolved into political discussions about the relationship between Arabs and Israelis. In modern times, falafel has been considered a national dish of Egypt, Palestine, and Israel. Many Palestinians resent what they see as the appropriation of their dish by Israelis. Additionally, the Lebanese Industrialists' Association has raised assertions of copyright infringement against Israel concerning falafel.
Falafel plays an iconic role in Israeli cuisine and is widely considered to be the national dish of the country. While falafel is not a specifically Jewish dish, it was eaten by Mizrahi Jews in their countries of origin. Later, it was adopted by early Jewish immigrants to Ottoman Palestine. As it is plant-based, Jewish dietary laws classify it as pareve and thus allow it to be eaten with both meat and dairy meals.
In 2012, one of the hotels in the capital of Jordan, Amman, prepared the world's largest falafel disc weighing about 75 kg โ breaking the previous record set at a Jewish food festival in the United States.
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