Falafel-what is it and why should you fall in love with it?

Falafel, a modest but well-known element of Middle Eastern cuisine , is more than just a delicious appetizer fried in gold. This is a traditional dish that has won tastes all over the world. Where is he from? How did it evolve to taste and why? We respond below!

History of Falafel 

As it happens in the culinary world , there is no single generally accepted falafel story. Culinary historians and anthropologists often disagree on its exact origin, but a significant body of evidence indicates that it originated in Egypt. It is believed that the Copts, the Egyptian Christian community, originally prepared this dish from horse beans and called it "taamiya". This dish served as a substitute for meat during the Christian fast called Lent. From the very beginning, it was gaining popularity, so it was quickly noticed as a snack, including in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean countries. Traveling through these regions, it has undergone several transformations, evolving in accordance with the tastes of the people inhabiting this territory.

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In regions such as Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, where chickpeas were more abundant, fava beans were replaced as the main component of falafel. Yemen has added variety to the traditional falafel by adding hot peppers for a savory dimension. Lebanese chefs have passed on their penchant for sesame seeds, giving falafel a special crunchiness and flavor profile. When falafel reached the Levant, it had already undergone a series of transformations. The recipe has been refined and adapted to complement local tastes, and falafel has acquired a widely recognizable round shape, different from the original Egyptian disc shape. However, the evolution of falafel did not stop in the Levant. When Middle Eastern populations began migrating around the world in the 19th and 20th centuries, they took their own cuisine with them, including the coveted falafel. This simple dish, surrounded by soft pita bread, supplemented with fresh vegetables and doused with tahini sauce, quickly gained worldwide popularity.

The phenomenon of vegetarian delicacy

With its global reach, falafel has become a gastronomic symbol of Middle Eastern cuisine, representing the culinary identity of many countries. Despite the complex geopolitical fabric of the region, Falafel is a unifying cultural factor. From Cairo to Beirut, from Jerusalem to Damascus, falafel is a shared culinary heritage that connects borders. 

With the growing popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets and global street food trends, this Middle Eastern product has found its place on countless menu cards around the world. Despite its inconspicuous composition, falafel is of great importance in world cuisine as a testament to the history and culinary evolution of the Middle East.

How to make falafel?

The story is over, let's move on to practice! Here's a classic vegetarian falafel recipe: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas 
• 1/2 large, coarsely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes 
• 4 garlic cloves 
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 4-6 tablespoons wheat flour
• vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Combine the cooked chickpeas with the onion, parsley, coriander, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin in a food processor until all the ingredients are combined. Important: the mass should not be crushed into puree! 
2. Add the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of wheat flour to the mixture and mix. If the dough is too sticky, add an additional amount of flour, but do not overdo it so that the falafel does not have a flour aftertaste. The falafel mass is ready when the dough does not stick to your hand after forming a small ball. 
3. Cover the finished mass with a dry cloth and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. After cooling, form balls the size of walnuts from the resulting mass. In a deep saucepan or wok, heat the oil and fry a sample ball of falafel. If it falls apart, add a little more flour to the mixture. Once the consistency is just right, fry about six balls at a time for a few minutes on each side, until they are golden brown. 
5. Drain the toasted falafels on a paper towel to get rid of excess fat. Ready!

We especially recommend falafels served with pita bread, yogurt sauce and fresh vegetables. Enjoy your meal!