Falafel

What is falafel?

An age-old mainstay of fast street food in virtually every Arabic-speaking and Eastern Mediterranean country, falafel is now firmly established in the West. Traditionally, small patties based on minced ful (dried broad beans) or on chickpeas are served direct from a vat of boiling oil into warm bread together with fresh salad ingredients. Classic falafel are ball-shaped, sometimes slightly flattened, but modern falafel shapers make shallow cylinders, like small, thick hamburger shapes. Crisp and golden brown on the outside, warm and pale greenish on the inside, redolent with a gentle flavouring of herbs and spices, they are vegetarian food at its greatest.

How to make falafel

Super-traditionalists, especially those from Alexandria in Egypt, say falafel should be made only with dried ful. Strange to European thought, falafel are made there with beans that are soaked overnight but not cooked. This ensures a slight texture, which is often missing from other versions.

In the UK, chickpeas are the most common basis. Parsley, coriander leaf, cumin, coriander seeds and green (spring) onion are the other most common ingredients. Not unexpectedly, creative Westerners now add such other ingredients as olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Crumbled feta cheese is an excellent addition.