Sarah Saltzman's Falafel Experience

On my recent trip to Israel, I was searching for an indigenous food that tasted deliciously. Suddenly, I came across a restaurant called "Falafels and More"! I thought to myself, "What is falafel?" I decided to ask the chef, and sure enough, he told me the ingredients and how to prepare it. Falafels are essentially ground up mushy chickpeas, which came from the Old World to the New World. The strong flavored and distinctive onions that are put into the dish came from the Old World to the New World as well. Some people add flavorful and tasty garlic, which came from the Old World to the New World, to their falafel to make it delicious. Falafel is rolled into round balls that are placed into pita bread. The primary ingredient in pita bread is wheat, which originated in the Old World (southern Europe) and was brought to the New World by settlers. Falafel is usually eaten in the Middle Eastern region of the world (primarily in Israel); however it diffused to the Americas during the Columbian Exchange. Brackish salt is also required to add to the chickpeas, and that ingredient came from the oceans; therefore it did not get transferred from the Old World to the New World or from the New World to the Old World. Once the falafel is cooked, it tastes very appetizing.

Chickpeas originated from the Middle East, specifically in Turkey, and they were later domesticated in Africa and India. They were later transferred to the Americas, where they are currently cultivated in Washington, Montana, Idaho, and California. Several historians declare that onions originated in Central Asia; however the exact country that they were first domesticated in is unknown. Several other historians declare that they were grown in Georgia, West Pakistan, Iran, and India. Onions diffused to Ancient Egypt, China, India, Greece, and Rome. They were also eaten by the Israelites. They were brought to the New World when the Pilgrims traveled to the New World on the Mayflower. Garlic originated in Central Asia, and it was used by the Ancient Egyptians, the Indus River Valley civilization, the Chinese, and the Greeks. The French, Portuguese, and Spanish were credited with diffusing it to the New World.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Oil for frying (canola or vegetable)