Falafel

{{pp|small=yes}} {{Short description|Middle Eastern fried bean dish}} {{otheruses}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Good article}} {{Infobox food | name = Falafel | image = File:Falafels 2.jpg | image_size = 300 | caption = Falafel balls | alternate_name = Felafel | region = Middle East | place_of_origin = Egypt | course = Meze | type = Fritter | served = Hot or cold | main_ingredient = Broad beans or chickpeas | variations = | calories = | other = }} <!-- This article covers a topic of relevance to several countries. DO NOT remove content that only relates to one country, language or culture. Use talk page for discussion first. -->

'''Falafel''' ({{IPAc-en|f|ə|ˈ|l|ɑː|f|əl}} {{respell|fə|LAH|fəl}}; {{langx|ar|فلافل}}, {{IPA|ar|fæˈlæːfɪl|IPA|ArFalafel.ogg}}) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin that features in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines. It is made from ground fava beans, chickpeas, or both, and mixed with herbs and spices before frying.

Falafel is often served in a flatbread such as pita, samoon, laffa, or taboon; ''falafel'' also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls may be topped with salads, pickled vegetables, and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze tray.

Falafel is a popular street food eaten throughout the Middle East. In Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula, it is most often made with fava beans, while in the Levant, it is typically made with chickpeas or sometimes a blend of both.

Falafel has been the subject of gastronationalistic campaigns in many Middle Eastern countries, most notably in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, where both sides have claimed ownership of the dish.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guttman |first=Vered |date=2018-07-12 |title=Why Israeli falafel sandwich is, well, Israeli |url=https://veredguttman.com/why-the-israeli-falafel-is-well-israeli/ |access-date=2026-05-07 |website=Vered's Israeli Cooking |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-04 |title=Falafel: What is the Middle East's most iconic food? - explainer {{!}} The Jerusalem Post |url=https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes/article-724032 |access-date=2026-05-07 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Vered-2018" />

==Etymology==

The word {{transliteration|ar|falāfil}} ({{langx|ar|فلافل}}) is Arabic and is the plural of {{transliteration|ar|ALA-LC|filfil}} ({{lang|ar|فلفل}}) 'pepper',<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=American Heritage Dictionary|edition=5th|year=2011|title=falafel|url=http://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=falafel&submit.x=38&submit.y=12}}</ref> borrowed from Persian {{transliteration|fa|felfel}} ({{lang|fa|فلفل}}),<ref>{{Cite web|title=دیکشنری آنلاین - Dehkhoda dictionary - معنی پلپل|url=https://abadis.ir/?lntype=dehkhoda,fatofa,moeen,amid,name,wiki,wikiislamic&word=%D9%BE%D9%84%D9%BE%D9%84&from=ac|access-date=2021-01-06|website=abadis.ir|archive-date=6 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306165047/https://abadis.ir/?lntype=dehkhoda,fatofa,moeen,amid,name,wiki,wikiislamic&word=%D9%BE%D9%84%D9%BE%D9%84&from=ac|url-status=live}}</ref> cognate with the Sanskrit word {{transliteration|sa|pippalī}} ({{lang|sa|पिप्पली}}) 'long pepper'; or an earlier {{transliteration|arc|*filfal}}, from Aramaic {{transliteration|arc|pilpāl}} 'small round thing, peppercorn', derived from ''palpēl'' 'to be round, roll'.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of falafel {{!}} Dictionary.com|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/falafel|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.dictionary.com|language=en|archive-date=6 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106204535/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/falafel|url-status=live}}</ref>

The name {{transliteration|ar|falāfil}} is used world-wide. In English (where it has been written ''falafel'', ''felafel'', ''filafel'' and ''filafil''), it is first attested in 1936.<ref>The Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed., March 2022) has a [https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/69033 1936 citation].</ref>

Falafel is known as {{transliteration|arz|ṭaʿmiyya}} ({{langx|ar|طعمية|links=no}}, {{IPA|arz|tˤɑʕˈmejjɑ|IPA}}) in Egypt and Sudan. The word is derived from a diminutive form of the Arabic word {{transliteration|ar|ALA-LC|ṭaʿām}} ({{lang|ar|طعام}}, 'food'); the particular form indicates a "unit" of the given root in this case {{transliteration|sem|Ṭ-ʕ-M}} ({{lang|ar|ط ع م}}, having to do with taste and food), thus meaning 'a little piece of food' or 'small tasty thing'.<ref name="Davidson-2006">{{cite book|last=Davidson|first=Alan|author2=Jaine, Tom|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|edition=2nd|page=287|isbn=978-0-19-280681-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JTr-ouCbL2AC&q=falafel&pg=PA287|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Habeeb-2007" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Ham|first=Anthony|title=Africa|year=2010|publisher=Lonely Planet|location=Footscray, Victoria|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n-jEEqvIqi4C&pg=PA199|page=199|isbn=978-1-74104-988-6|access-date=July 19, 2011}}</ref>

The word ''falafel'' can refer to the fritters themselves or to sandwiches filled with them.

==History and distribution== [[File:PACK DONKEYS PARKING NEAR A "FALAFEL" VENDOR IN THE OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM. חמורים עומדים ליד דוכן פלאפל בעיר העתיקה בירושלים..jpg|thumb|Falafel vendor in the Old City of Jerusalem, 1935, from the National Photo Collection of Israel]] The origin of falafel is uncertain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Petrini|first=Carlo|title=Slow food : collected thoughts on taste, tradition, and the honest pleasures of food|year=2001|publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing|isbn=978-1-931498-01-2|page=55|access-date=6 February 2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KVf94-rwpJ8C&q=Slow%20food:%20collected%20thoughts%20on%20taste,%20tradition,%20and%20the%20honest%20pleasures%20...%20By%20Carlo%20Petrini,%20Benjamin%20Watson&pg=PA55|author2=Watson, Benjamin}}</ref> The dish most likely originated in Egypt.<ref>{{cite book |last=Helman |first=Anat |title=Jews and Their Foodways |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2015 |isbn=978-0-19-049359-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-LOlCgAAQBAJ |quote=The claim that Indian cooking may have influenced the invention of falafel is reasonable. There are many fried foods in India that predate falafel and that are similar in shape and consistency. British soldiers familiar with ''vada'', ''ambode'', ''dal ke pakode'' and other fried foods might easily have experimented and encouraged resourceful Egyptian chefs to come up with a local equivalent. |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208211427/https://books.google.com/books?id=-LOlCgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Galili|first=Shooky|title=Falafel fact sheet|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3421119,00.html|access-date=6 February 2011|publisher=Ynet News|date=4 July 2007|archive-date=28 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183259/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3421119,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lee-2019">{{Cite web|first=Alexander|last=Lee|title=Historian's Cookbook - Falafel|date=1 January 2019|url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/falafel|access-date=3 January 2021|website=History Today|archive-date=3 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103043712/https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/falafel|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=21 July 2020|title=A short wrap-up of the history of falafel|url=https://www.zmescience.com/science/history-falafel-food-feature/|access-date=8 January 2021|website=ZME Science|language=en-US|archive-date=14 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114194037/https://www.zmescience.com/science/history-falafel-food-feature/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=4 May 2016|title=The falafel battle: which country cooks it best?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/04/the-falafel-battle-which-country-cooks-it-best|access-date=8 January 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126153112/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/04/the-falafel-battle-which-country-cooks-it-best|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been speculated that its history may go back to Pharaonic Egypt.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Hilary |title=Egyptian food and drink |date=1988 |publisher=Shire |isbn=978-0-85263-972-6 |edition=1. publ |series=Shire Egyptology |location=Princes Risborough}}</ref> However, the earliest written references to falafel from Egyptian sources date to the 19th century,{{sfn|Raviv|2003}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Denker |first=Joel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S_x6nrkcoUkC&q=falafel&pg=PA41 |title=The World on a Plate: A Tour Through the History of America's Ethnic Cuisine |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-8133-4003-9 |page=41}}</ref><ref name="Solomonov-2018">{{cite book |last=Solomonov |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7GVwDwAAQBAJ&dq=falafel+copts&pg=PA20 |title=Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious |date=2018 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=9780544970373}}</ref> and oil was probably too expensive to use for deep frying in ancient Egypt. Another theory regarding the origins of falafel is that the dish was created when British soldiers from India, craving Indian cuisine, began making or having made replacements for Indian cuisine in Egypt, this theory is plausible and is supported by circumstantial evidence though no conclusive evidence for it exists.<ref name="Solomonov-2018" /><ref>{{cite news|author=Liz Steinberg|title=Food Wars: Did Jews Invent Falafel After All?|work=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/food/2015-12-02/ty-article/.premium/food-wars-did-jews-invent-falafel-after-all/0000017f-f69e-d460-afff-fffee8190000|access-date=18 February 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414213438/https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-food-wars-did-jews-invent-falafel-after-all-1.5429673|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lee-2019" />

As Alexandria is a port city, it was possible to export the dish and its name to other areas in the Middle East. It first spread south into the rest of Egypt, but after World War 1 it began to spread outside of Egypt. By 1933 a falafel shop had been opened in Beirut and from there it spread down the Red Sea coast all the way to Yemen, it had spread west into Libya, and north into Turkey. Around this time the dish also spread to Mandatory Palestine where it was adopted by some Jews and Arabs, but many recent Ashkenazi Jewish migrants were hesitant. As it spread falafel generally remained unchanged though this was not always the case. In the town of Mersa Matruoh, fava beans were replaced with hyacinth beans and beef. In the Levant fava beans were replaced with chickpeas.<ref name="Lee-2019" />{{sfn|Raviv|2003|p=20}}<ref>{{cite web|title=A History of the Mideast in the Humble Chickpea|date=10 July 2002|author=Kantor, Jodi|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/10/dining/a-history-of-the-mideast-in-the-humble-chickpea.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=8 January 2020|archive-date=13 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913210032/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/10/dining/a-history-of-the-mideast-in-the-humble-chickpea.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/world/lebanon-turns-up-the-heat-as-falafels-fly-in-food-fight-20081011-4yqo.html|title=Lebanon turns up the heat as falafels fly in food fight|last=MacLeod|first=Hugh|date=12 October 2008|work=The Age|access-date=10 February 2010|archive-date=14 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014091818/http://www.theage.com.au/world/lebanon-turns-up-the-heat-as-falafels-fly-in-food-fight-20081011-4yqo.html|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Pita felafel.jpg|thumb|alt=A pita filled with vegetables and fritters on a plate|Falafel sandwich in pita]]By the time of Israel's independence, falafel had yet to become as popular among Israelis as it is today. But the introduction of rationing in 1949 boosted falafel’s popularity. Not only was it a good source of protein, but its ingredients were also easily available to everybody. Though some continued to treat it as a foreign food, a growing number of cookbooks began to feature recipes. The arrival of Jews expelled from the Middle East, who had eaten falafel in their previous countries helped popularize the food to more hesitant demographics.<ref name="Lee-2019" />

According to historian Gil Marks, the pita falafel sandwich was popularized after Israel's independence and in the 1950s by Jewish Yemeni refugees, though a 19 October 1939 ''The Palestine Post'' article is the first mention of the concept of falafels served in a pita bread as a street food.<ref>Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, Gil Marks, HMH, 2010</ref>

In its spread falafel was aided by several factors: It was inexpensive, easy to store, easy to produce, convenient to eat, and could be served in a variety of ways.<ref name="Lee-2019" />

=== Middle East === thumb|Egyptian falafel patties frying in oil Falafel is a common form of street food or fast food in Egypt, across the Levant, and in the wider Middle East.{{sfn|Roden|2008|p=62}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Kelley|first=Leigh|date=28 January 2010|title=Dining with a Middle Eastern flair|work=Times-News |url=https://www.blueridgenow.com/article/NC/20100128/News/606056826/HT |access-date=1 May 2021|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501090256/https://www.blueridgenow.com/article/NC/20100128/News/606056826/HT|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Habeeb-2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30704219_ITM|title=Falafel: healthy Middle Eastern hamburgers capture the West.|last=Habeeb|first=Salloum|date=1 April 2007|work=Vegetarian Journal|access-date=16 February 2010|archive-date=2 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902204559/https://www.nelsonbrain.com/shop|url-status=dead}}</ref> Falafel became so popular that McDonald's for a time served a "McFalafel" in its breakfast menu in Egypt.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=43&SubSectionID=200&ArticleID=172473 |first=Jerry |last=Allison |title=Fast food – Middle Eastern style |date=6 January 2009 |work=The News Journal |access-date=6 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718075130/http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=43&SubSectionID=200&ArticleID=172473 |archive-date=18 July 2011 }}</ref>

Falafel is still popular in the Coptic diet, and as such large volumes are cooked during religious holidays.{{sfn|Roden|2008|p=62}} Falafel is consumed as part of the Lenten diet by Arab Christians.<ref>{{cite book|title=Food and Everyday Life|first=Thomas|last= M. Conroy|year= 2014| isbn=9780739173114| page =73|publisher=Lexington Books|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|first=Alan |last=Davidson|year= 2014| isbn=9780191040726| page =295|publisher=Oxford University Press |quote=Falafel are made for religious festivals, especially among Christian communities during Lent when meat is forbidden.}}</ref>{{sfn|Raviv|2003|p=20}}{{sfn|Roden|2008|p=62}}{{sfn|Malouf|Malouf|2008|p=90}}

Chickpea-based falafel, common in many Levantine cuisines including Israeli and Palestinian, has become widely recognized as a national dish in Israel, where it is a popular street food.{{sfn|Raviv|2003|p=20}}{{sfn|Pilcher|2006|p=115}} === The West === Waves of migration of Arabs and Turks took falafel through Europe to Germany in particular, where a large Turkish population had put down roots. At first it was a dish consumed principally by migrants. During the early 1970s, the appearance of Turkish food stalls and restaurants made falafel available to the Germans, resulting in a transformation of the recipe.<ref name="Lee-2019" />

In North America, prior to the 1970s, falafel was found only in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Jewish neighborhoods and restaurants.<ref name="Grogan, Bryanna Clark-2003"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ze3F_n37NVoC&q=falafel+american&pg=PA181|title=Mouth Wide Open: A Cook and His Appetite|author1=Thorne, Matt |author2=Thorne, John |pages=181–187|publisher=Macmillan|year=2007|isbn=978-0-86547-628-8| access-date=23 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Charles|last=Perry|chapter=Middle Eastern Influences on American Food|editor-first=Andrew F.|editor-last=Smith|title=The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink|date=May 2007|isbn=978-0-19-530796-2|page=384|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=owZCMZpYamMC&q=falafel+american&pg=PA207|title=Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History, Volume 1|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year=2010|page=207|author=Curtis IV, Edward|access-date=23 February 2011|isbn=978-0-8160-7575-1}}</ref> By the 1990s, it had begun to spread to the broader populace, first as an exoticized "eastern" dish but later it became normalized the dish is a common and popular street food in many cities throughout North America.<ref name="Lee-2019" /><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mA8AAAAAMBAJ&q=falafel+american&pg=PA194|journal=Atlanta Magazine|page=194|title=Cuisine of the Month|author=Lenhard, Elizabeth|date=January 2006|access-date=23 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ORy2aVD7cEgC&q=falafel+american&pg=PA178|title=The World Religions Cookbook|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|last1=Schmidt|first1=Arno|last2=Fieldhouse|first2=Paul |page=178|year=2007|access-date=23 February 2011|isbn=978-0-313-33504-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2fJK8R_x0j8C&q=falafel+american&pg=PT387|title=The Good Housekeeping Cookbook|publisher=Hearst Books|editor= Westmoreland, Susan |year=2004|access-date=23 February 2011|isbn=978-1-58816-398-1}}</ref>

===Vegetarianism===

Falafel is popular with vegetarians worldwide.<ref name="Grogan, Bryanna Clark-2003" />

Falafel became popular among vegetarians and vegans as an alternative to meat-based street foods.<ref name="Grogan, Bryanna Clark-2003">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LwcAAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Falafel+Without+the+Fat%22&pg=PA20|work=Vegetarian Times|title=Falafel without fat|author=Grogan, Bryanna Clark|date=July 2003|pages=20, 22|access-date=23 February 2011|issn=0164-8497 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Wolfe|first=Frankie Avalon|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian|publisher=Penguin Group|year=2007|pages=175, 186|access-date=22 February 2011|isbn=978-1-59257-682-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c0S-LmVSYgsC&q=falafel&pg=PA126}}</ref> While traditionally thought of as being used to make veggie burgers,<ref>{{cite book|last=Murphy|first=Jane|title=The Great Big Burger Book: 100 New and Classic Recipes for Mouth Watering Burgers Every Day Every Way|year=2010|publisher=ReadHowYouWant.com|access-date=6 February 2011|isbn=978-1-4587-6463-8|page=304|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GcjxTyEMNjAC&q=The%20Great%20Big%20Burger%20Book:%20100%20New%20and%20Classic%20Recipes%20for%20Mouth%20Watering%20...%20By%20Jane%20Murphy&pg=PP1}}</ref> its use has expanded as more have adopted it as a source of protein.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XzJUBO3Sm_YC&q=%22Falafel%22+vitamin&pg=PA203|author=Berkoff R.D., Nancy|access-date=22 February 2011|title=Vegan in volume: vegan quantity recipes for every occasion|isbn=978-0-931411-21-2|year=1999|publisher=Vegetarian Resource }}</ref> Falafel is used as a meat substitute in some vegetarian recipes for meatloaf, sloppy joes and spaghetti and meatballs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tAQAAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Falafel%22+vegetarian+times&pg=PA36|work=Vegetarian Times|title=New Ways with Falafel: The Middle Eastern favorite has evolved from a high fat sandwich stuffer to a low fat meal magician|author=Leonard, Joanne|date=October 1996|pages=36, 38|access-date=22 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQcAAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Falafel%22+vegetarian+times&pg=PA30|work=Vegetarian Times|title=Minute Meals|author=Whitney, Winona|date=June 1991|page=30|access-date=23 February 2011}}</ref>

==Preparation and variations==

Falafel is made from fava beans, chickpeas, or a combination of both.{{sfn|Raviv|2003|p=20}} In Egypt, it is typically prepared with fava beans. In Israeli and Palestinian cuisine, chickpeas are commonly used,{{sfn|Raviv|2003|p=20}} while in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the wider Middle East, either chickpeas or a mix of both are used.{{sfn|Roden|2008|p=62}}{{sfn|Raviv|2003|p=20}}{{sfn|Malouf|Malouf|2008|p=90}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The glutton's glossary: a dictionary of food and drink terms|first=John|last=Ayto|publisher=Routledge|year=1990|access-date=6 February 2011|isbn=0-415-02647-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vAQOAAAAQAAJ&q=syria+falafel+chickpeas&pg=PA106}}</ref> The chickpea-based version is the most popular in the West.{{sfn|Roden|2008|p=62}} Some falafel include a filling inside the falafel dough; Palestinians make a variation of falafel stuffed with sumac and onions.<ref> {{cite book |last1=El-Haddad |first1=Laila M. |last2=Schmitt |first2=Maggie |author1-link=Laila_el-Haddad |title=The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey |date=2016 |publisher=Just World Books |isbn=978-1-68257-008-1 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/nMy3jwEACAAJ |access-date=5 January 2026 |language=en}} </ref><ref> {{cite book |last1=Tamimi |first1=Sami |last2=Wigley |first2=Tara |author1-link=Sami Tamimi |title=Falastin: A Cookbook |date=16 June 2020 |publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed |isbn=978-0-399-58174-8 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Falastin/PACmDwAAQBAJ |access-date=5 January 2026 |language=en}} </ref><ref> {{cite news |title=خبر المطاعم الشعبية تُغير شكل مأكولاتها للحفاظ على أرزاقها في رمضان |url=https://paltoday.ps/ar/post/299362/ |access-date=5 January 2026 |work=Palestine Today |date=2 June 2017 |language=ar |trans-title=News: Popular restaurants are changing the presentation of their dishes to maintain their livelihoods during Ramadan.}} </ref>

When chickpeas are used, they are not cooked prior to use (cooking the chickpeas will cause the falafel to fall apart, requiring adding some flour to use as a binder). Instead they are soaked (sometimes with baking soda) overnight, then ground together with various ingredients such as parsley, scallions, and garlic.{{sfn|Roden|2008|p=62}} Spices such as cumin and coriander are often added to the beans for added flavor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E7D81F30F937A35757C0A9619C8B63|title=For the Best Falafel, Do It All Yourself|last=Bittman|first=Mark|date=4 April 2007|work=The New York Times|access-date=11 July 2011|archive-date=12 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612120635/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E7D81F30F937A35757C0A9619C8B63|url-status=live}}</ref> The dried fava beans are soaked in water and then stone ground with leek, parsley, green coriander, cumin and dry coriander.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.scienzavegetariana.it/nutrizione/favabeans.html | title=Fava Beans, Levodopa, and Parkinson's Disease | author=Kathrynne Holden | access-date=17 March 2013 | archive-date=22 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722191415/https://www.scienzavegetariana.it/nutrizione/favabeans.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960529/LIFE/305299944 | author=Russ Parsons | title=The Long History of the Mysterious Fava Bean | access-date=10 August 2014 | archive-date=29 October 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029223716/https://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960529/LIFE/305299944 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The mixture is shaped into balls or patties. This can be done by hand or with a tool called an ''aleb falafel'' (falafel mould).<ref name="Davidson-2006" /> The mixture is usually deep-fried, or it can be oven-baked.{{cn|date=February 2026}}

Falafel is typically ball-shaped, but is sometimes made in other shapes. The inside of falafel may be green (from green herbs such as parsley or green onion), or tan. Sometimes sesame seeds are added on top of the falafel before frying it.{{cn|date=January 2026}}

When served as a sandwich, falafel is often wrapped with flatbread or stuffed in a hollow pita bread,<ref>{{cite book|last=Marks|first=Gil|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish food|year=2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|access-date=6 February 2011|isbn=978-0-470-39130-3|page=183|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojc4Uker_V0C&q=Encyclopedia+of+Jewish+Food+By+Gil+Marks}}</ref> or it can be served with flat or unleavened bread.<ref>{{cite book|last=Basan|first=Ghillie|title=Middle Eastern Kitchen|year=2007|publisher=Hippocrene Books|isbn=978-0-7818-1190-3|page=33}}</ref> Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and other garnishes can be added.{{sfn|Winget|Chalbi|2003|p=33}}<ref>Claudia Roden, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York, New York, Knopf, 1997, 688 p. ({{ISBN|0-394-53258-9}}), p. 273.</ref> Falafel is commonly accompanied by tahini sauce.{{sfn|Roden|2008|p=62}} ==Nutrition== {{Nutritional value | name = Homemade falafel | kJ = 1393 | carbs = 31.84 g | fat = 17.80 g | protein = 13.31 g | water = 34.62 g | calcium_mg = 54 | iron_mg = 3.42 | phosphorus_mg = 192 | magnesium_mg = 82 | manganese_mg = 0.691 | sodium_mg = 294 | potassium_mg = 585 | zinc_mg = 1.50 | vitA_iu = 13 | thiamin_mg = 0.146 | riboflavin_mg = 0.166 | niacin_mg = 1.044 | pantothenic_mg = 0.292 | vitB6_mg = 0.125 | folate_ug = 78 | vitB12_ug = 0.00 | source_usda = 1 | note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/172455/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }}Homemade falafel is typically around 35% water, 32% carbohydrates, 13% protein, and 18% fat (table). In a reference amount of {{convert|100|g}}, homemade falafel supplies 333 calories and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of folate (20% DV), several dietary minerals, and dietary fiber (table). Falafel can be baked to avoid the high fat content associated with frying in oil.<ref name="Grogan, Bryanna Clark-2003"/>{{sfn|Winget|Chalbi|2003|p=33}}

== Politics == {{Main|Politics of food in the Arab-Israeli conflict}}Falafel has taken on a politicized role in various middle eastern countries with arguments over its geographic origin, and accusations of cultural appropriation.<ref name="Lee-2019" />

Arguments over the relative importance of the dish in various cuisines is an example of gastronationalism.<ref name="Vered-2018">{{Cite news |last=Vered |first=Ronit |date=13 June 2018 |title=Israelis or Arabs – Who Owns Falafel - and Does It Matter? |url=https://www.haaretz.com/food/2018-06-13/ty-article-magazine/.premium/which-nation-owns-falafel-and-does-it-matter/0000017f-e498-d7b2-a77f-e79f24d30000 |access-date=2023-12-12 |work=Haaretz |language=en}}</ref> In particular, discussion centers around the adoption of the dish into Israeli cuisine as an example of cultural appropriation.<ref name="Vered-2018" /> The chickpea version has been adopted into Israeli cuisine, where it features prominently and has been called a national dish of Israel, a designation Palestinians and other Arabs have criticized.{{sfn|Raviv|2003|p=20}}{{sfn|Pilcher|2006|p=115}}

==See also== * Operation Dugo

==References== ===Citations=== {{Reflist}} ===Sources=== * {{cite book|last1=Malouf|first1=Greg|title=Artichoke to Za'atar: Modern Middle Eastern Food|year=2008|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-25413-8|page=90|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0j5c0GMrOdcC&q=egyptian+falafel+spicy&pg=PA90|last2=Malouf |first2=Lucy|access-date=6 February 2011}} * {{cite book |last=Pilcher |first=Jeffrey M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lbEVK2DSu3AC&q=falafel |title=Food in World History |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-415-31146-5 }} * {{cite journal |last=Raviv |first=Yael |date=2003 |title=Falafel: A National Icon |journal=Gastronomica |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=20–25 |doi=10.1525/gfc.2003.3.3.20 |url=https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2003.3.3.20|url-access=subscription }} * {{cite book|last=Roden|first=Claudia|author-link=Claudia Roden|title=The New Book of Middle Eastern Food|date=2008|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0-375-40506-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r723owliVz8C&q=falafel}} * {{cite book|last1=Winget|first1=Mary|last2=Chalbi |first2=Habib|title=Cooking the North African Way|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|year=2003|edition=2nd|access-date=28 April 2010|isbn=978-0-8225-4169-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yzYgQpdSf7QC}}

==External links== {{Sister project auto|cookbook=y|wikt=y}}

* [https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015257-falafel ''Recipe of the Day'' for 12 February 2008] – ''The New York Times''

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Category:Arab cuisine Category:Bahraini cuisine Category:Chickpea dishes Category:Egyptian legume dishes Category:Fritters Category:Iraqi cuisine Category:Israeli cuisine Category:Jordanian cuisine Category:Lebanese cuisine Category:Lenten foods Category:Middle Eastern cuisine Category:Mizrahi Jewish cuisine Category:National dishes Category:Palestinian cuisine Category:Saudi Arabian cuisine Category:South Sudanese cuisine Category:Street food Category:Sudanese cuisine Category:Syrian cuisine Category:Vegan cuisine Category:Vegetarian sandwiches Category:Vegetarian dishes of Egypt Category:Broad bean dishes