What is the most Israeli food? You’re probably thinking of falafel. And you’re probably right, assuming that the question has one answer.
But as with anything else in the Middle East, politics can’t be left out of the equation. Israelis who argue falafel is their own face strong objections from Egyptians, Palestinians and Lebanese, who themselves claim to be the sole owners of these fried chickpea balls.
The falafel debate has actually turned into a verifiable food fight, much like the Great Hummus War between Israel and Lebanon, ongoing over the last few few years.
A few years ago, 300 Lebanese chefs fried 5 tons of falafel balls. Coincidently, only two weeks later in NYC, an Israeli chef managed to fry a 24 lb. falafel ball. Not appetizing.
So who’s right? Who really owns the falafel?
Falafel most likely originated in Egypt (though others claim it comes from India), where it is called ta’amiya and is made from fava beans.
Jews who lived in Egypt and Syria where exposed to falafel for centuries. Does that give them the right to use it then in their new country?
If a dish becomes popular to the point where you can find it everywhere and it is eaten by everyone in the country, rich and poor, young and old, Sephardi and Ashkenazi, and many see it as their national dish, does it really matter where it came from?
Falafel is so synonymous with Israeli food that the Israeli Ministry of Information and Diaspora Affairs has even asked Israelis to explain to people abroad that Israel has plenty more to offer, and that Israelis do not eat falafel and hummus three times a day!
Since food always traveled with immigrants, and local cuisines were adapted in new places, this discussion seems almost beside the point. I don’t see the Germans accusing Americans of stealing their hamburgers.
The situation in Israel is different, though. Since Israel has been occupying Palestinian territory and holding millions of Palestinians under this occupation for more than 50 years, food appropriation is becoming real.
When the parties are not equal, as in this case, claims for food appropriation are valid and cannot be ignored.
like with the case of hummus, Israelis learned to love falafel sandwiches from the Palestinians. But Israelis have made the falafel sandwich their own. Here’s how.
Falafel sandwiches were made popular within the Jewish community in Israel by Yemeni Jews in the 1950s.
And the way the Israeli falafel sandwich is served is, in my opinion, the main reason why Israeli falafel sandwich is truly, well, Israeli.
The Israeli falafel is served in a thick and fluffy pita bread. This type of pita was created by Yemeni Jews based on their flat thick bread called salouf, that they adjusted to have a pocket.
The falafel fritters themselves are made with ground chickpea and not ground fava bean, as common in Egypt and sometimes in the Palestinian community. The reason for making this choice may have been a rare condition called favism, an allergy to fava beans, that many in the Iraqi Jewish community have.
And what goes inside this thick pita bread? First, there’s Israeli salad (oops, I meant Arab salad, which is how the salad is called in Israel,) then there’s hummus (did I mention the hummus war?), German sauerkraut, Iraqi fried eggplant and pickled mango sauce (Amba,) Yemeni spicy sauce (s’houg,) Moroccan carrot salad, Palestinian onion and sumac salad, Russian cabbage in mayo salad and French fries (to name just a few of the additions). This combination cannot be any more Israeli.
Israeli or not, falafel in a pita bread with hummus and tahini dip, and with a chopped vegetable salad is a well balanced meal that will work well for vegans, vegetarians and anyone else coming for dinner. It’s cheap and easy to make, so there’s no reason not to prepare it often.
To make it even easier, you can double the recipe and freeze half of the mixture (before adding the flour and baking soda) then thaw it to fry fresh falafel when you’re ready. Chop some tomatoes and Israeli cucumbers (unless if you prefer to call them Persian cucumbers) for a simple salad. Make an easy tahini dip by mixing 1/2 cup tahini with 1/2 cup water and 1/3 cup lemon juice and some salt. Open a can of Israeli pickled cucumbers and serve it all in pita bread filled with the hot falafel balls.
Way better than a 24 lb. falafel ball.