Falafel - The Legend

Any visitor to Israel will quickly learn that next to arguing, eating is what many Israelis love best. From the streets of Jerusalem to tiny towns in the desert, falafel is one of the Holy Land's staple quick bites.

Stands selling these crispy fried balls of mashed chickpeas line the streets wherever you go. In fact, in most towns, falafel stands will outnumber banks, clothing stores, and schools combined! Though often not looking the cleanliest places you ever frequented, the falafel produced in these little stands does the job!

Despite it's fried nature, falafel is a pretty good source of protein, and not too unhealthy, especially in comparison to all-you-can-eat buffets and double cheeseburgers.

And the key to the quality falafel is not necessarily the balls themselves. According to Israelitus.com's Orly, a 'sabras', or local, "falafel, for the most part, will taste pretty much the same. But the toppings will make or break it."

Toppings include small cubes of tomato, cucumber and onions, in addition to beets, olives, spicy carrots, pickles and numerous sauces, such as tahini and curry mango. Some people enjoy the toppings so much that they'll forgo the falafel. Sometimes. But not often.

The trick, acquired only through extensive practice, is to be able to stuff as many toppings and sauce on and in the falafel as humanly possible without breaking the actual pita. Rather than lame rolls or wraps, Israelis make use of warm, fresh flat bread to envelop the falafel.

In our opinion, falafel is kind of the Israeli comfort food. It offers all the important ingredients of a such a food - warmth, consistency and constant availability. While toppings may vary a little, you can always depend on crispy balls, warm pita and a multitude of condiments. And you can always count on finding a stand in even the smallest of small towns. 

Oh, and it's cheap, making falafel an even-more attractive option. Some unique stands offer free falafel ball refills for your pita. But, at four to eight shekels a pita (about $1-$2,or $3-$4 including a drink), its low cost allows the budget-minded to indulge in another pita if need be - although your stomach may disagree.

Even if there aren't refills on the falafel, almost every shop offers all-you-can eat toppings. So, a thrifty eater, starving college student or mopey volunteer can load up on toppings, eat a few bites and go load up again.

Some believe that good falafel depends largely on the quality of the chips. In Israel (and also Great Britain) chips are what the Yanks refer to as French fries. So, in addition to several falafel balls and 457 toppings, vendors also stuff chips inside the fragile pita.

But if the chips meet your needs and the falafel experience gets the green light, make sure to also load up on napkins, as the insides tend to uncontrollably ooze out of the sandwich.

Eating falafel, while a very popular activity, is not recommended as a date concept. You're certainly not going to make a good impression when it comes to eating this delicacy, from start to finish. Toppings dribble down your chin, falafel falls onto your lap and don't even think about holding a conversation while chewing the eclectic mixture. Cheap eating doesn't come easy. It's kind of like eating an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. You're constantly licking the sides and cursing that you didn't get a cup.

Also, don't forget an equally important part of every good meal. Washing it down. Although a coke or water will do the trick, we recommend opting for Israeli tea. The natives enjoy their tea simple with fresh mint leaves, or 'nana' in Hebrew. Not all stands serve tea, but get it where you can. Sometimes it's even less expensive than the coke.

You should now be ready to tackle any falafel experience. So grab your shekels, napkins and 'Be Tayavon' as they say in Hebrew!

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