Levantine or Egyptian. Where did the renowned falafel dish originate?
Yesterday, the world celebrated International Falafel Day, and on this day, social networking sites buzzed with the hashtag #International_Falafel_Day, and as it happens every year, a heated debate arose among users about the origin of the food and the first person to invent it.
Falafel is one of the most popular meals in the Arab world, as it is made in the Levant from chickpeas and is called falafel, while in Egypt it is made from beans and is called ta’meya.
While there is a disagreement about the history of this food and its roots among many countries, especially Egypt and the Levant.
Multiple theories
It is likely that falafel really started in Egypt, and one theory says that Coptic Christians invented it about 1,000 years ago, while another theory says that it dates back to the time of the Pharaohs and from there it spread to the Levant, according to a report by the Guardian newspaper.
On the other hand, some suggested that the falafel meal first appeared in the Levant and was first known to the Syrians in the Middle Ages, while others assert that falafel appeared for the first time in Palestine and then spread to all Arab countries.
Falafel (Shutterstock)
Despite this, there are no references to something similar to falafel in the Pharaonic texts, nor do Coptic Christians seem to have invented falafel as a meat-free food during Lent.
There is no evidence to support this. Besides, the word “falafel” is definitely not a Coptic word.
In all likelihood, it seems that falafel is relatively recent, as it did not appear in Egyptian literature until after the British occupation in 1882, according to experts who spoke to “historytoday”.
Study settled the controversy!
But in 2018, a study was conducted that settled this controversy and confirmed that the origin of falafel is Egyptian, during the Falafel Festival in London, where the Global Pulse Federation witnessed the inauguration of the Falafel Festival in London, which is part of the International Year of Pulses 2016 approved by the United Nations.
According to a writer of the Federation’s report and its specialists, the Egyptians are the “kings of falafel”, or what they call falafel, as the falafel presented by the Egyptians ranked first after comparing it with several types of falafel.
Although falafel is a food coming from the Middle East, today it occupies a global position. In Greece, America, Sudan and various countries of the world, there are falafel restaurants.
Falafel (Shutterstock)
Vegetarians also prefer falafel and consider it a healthy alternative to eating meat, especially since it is rich in iron and protein and is served in a number of international restaurants as a vegetarian burger.
