The claim that ‘jews invented falafel’ appears to be a relatively recent one and crops up from time-to-time on Twitter/X with it being cited as a ‘jewish food’ by both Israelis and jews from the United States who have spent time in Israel, which in turn probably derives from falafel’s association with ‘Israeliness’ as Shaul Stampfer pointed out. (1)
Indeed ‘Israeli falafel’ was originally made from fava beans as in Egypt (2) not the more common chickpeas and it was only with the immigration of Iraqi jews to Israel after 1948 that this changed. (3)
However, the origins of falafel lie with the Coptic Christians of Egypt not the jews as Raviv explains:
‘Falafel is generally made from fava beans (as in Egypt, where it is also known as Ta’amia), from chickpeas (the version traditional to Palestine and encountered in Israel today), or from a combination of the two. The dried legumes are soaked in water, ground, mixed with spices, shaped into small balls, and deep-fried. Falafel’s origins have been traced back to the Christian Copts of Egypt, who were not allowed to eat meat during certain holidays, especially Lent. Ta’amia thus served as a meat substitute.’ (4)
Falafel is also rumoured to go back to ‘ancient times’ meaning the Egypt of the Pharaohs, (5) but there isn’t any evidence to support this as the first mentioned of such food is from the nineteenth century in Egypt and the cooking oil – presumably olive oil – was far too expensive for the ancient Egyptians to have been regularly deep frying falafel. (6)
Put another way: while falafel is a relatively recent creation – dating from the nineteenth century – it is not a ‘jewish invention’ at all but rather an Egyptian one!
References
(1) Shaul Stampfer, 2015, ‘Bagel and Falafel: Two Iconic Jewish Foods and One Modern Jewish Identity’, pp. 190; 201 in Anat Helman (Ed.), 2015, ‘Jews and their Foodways’, 1st Edition, Oxford University Press: New York; also see https://www.haaretz.com/food/2015-12-02/ty-article/.premium/food-wars-did-jews-invent-falafel-after-all/0000017f-f69e-d460-afff-fffee8190000
(2) Yael Raviv, 2003, ‘Falafel: A National Icon’, Gastronomica, Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 20
(3) Stampfer, Op. Cit., p. 197 in Helman, Op. Cit.
(4) Raviv, Op. Cit., p. 20; supported by Joel Denker, 2007, [2003], ‘The World on a Plate: A Tour Through the History of America’s Ethnic Cuisine’, 1st Edition, University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln, p. 41
(5) Denker, Op. Cit., p. 41
(6) https://www.haaretz.com/food/2015-12-02/ty-article/.premium/food-wars-did-jews-invent-falafel-after-all/0000017f-f69e-d460-afff-fffee8190000
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