Falafel

Over the past few years, the culture of street food has become superior to restaurant food. The population, of course, is interested in parfaits and langoustines, but they are not ready to exchange street food for this. And it’s not even in the high price segment. Daily absorption of gourmet cuisine will certainly get bored, and the soul will be drawn to burgers, shawarma and hot dogs. Fast food lovers have retrained as adherents of healthy eating and have come up with an original replacement for harmful, but favorite dishes – falafel (aka chickpeas). Today there are 1 falafel carts for every shawarma cart. The city adopted a new kind of street food without even thinking about the composition and quality of the ingredients.

What is falafel really like, is the new street snack safe and healthy?

What is falafel

Falafel is a dish in the form of miniature balls of chickpeas. For the first time, the Egyptians began to cook it, but the dish entered the category of street food quite recently. The first falafel shops offered deep-fried chickpea balls to customers. Some establishments have changed the recipe and used beans, quinoa and special spice blends instead of chickpeas. After the formation of a fashion for healthy eating, falafel shops have slightly changed their menu. Establishments abandoned deep-frying and began to fry cutlets in a dry frying pan or bake in the oven. Falafel is served with a flatbread, sauce (depending on the establishment) and lots of vegetables. The dish consists of the optimal amount of proteins-fats-carbohydrates, and in terms of calories it is great for breakfast or lunch ^[1].

Snack spread

Chickpea balls are common in all culinary traditions of the Middle East, they are less common in the regions of the Middle East and North Africa ^[2].

In Israel, falafel is recognized as the national dish. Each gastronomic guide lists at least 3 Israeli falafel restaurants that you must visit in order to form the right opinion about the country. The dish is recognized as an unofficial symbol of Israel and is revered by both locals and tourists.

In Western countries, falafel has leaked relatively recently. It, like shawarma, is prepared in exotic eateries, mobile cafes or local establishments. The appetizer is especially popular with vegans and vegetarians.

A Brief Historical Reference

A simple but healthy and nutritious dish first appeared in Egypt during the early Middle Ages. ^[3]. Falafel started cooking Copts.

Historical note: Copts – Egyptian Christians, belong to one of the most ancient branches of the Christian religion.

The Copts kept a strict fast and loved to eat delicious food. Gastronomic love and pushed the population to cook something special and always similar to meat. Vegetable chickpea protein has become an excellent substitute for the animal both in terms of taste and energy value. Copts boiled chickpeas, crushed them to a puree consistency, added various spices, herbs, oils, then rolled them into small balls and fried them until golden brown. The finished dish was sprinkled with sesame seeds and poured with sauce.

Paradoxically, the first falafel shop in Tel Aviv was opened by a simple Jewish widow who previously lived in Berlin. She arrived in the city in the early 1940s, fleeing the Nazi regime. The widow would be very surprised if she knew that in a few years, in the same Berlin, falafel would become the most popular street food.

In 2011 Israeli McDonald’s launched a new adapted chain called Mac Falafel. The menu was designed specifically for Israelis, taking into account the peculiarities of the national cuisine. It seemed to the creators that the new network would make a splash, but Mac Falafel encroached on authenticity. Instead of the classic falafel, they served flat chickpea discs. Conservative gastronomic connoisseurs rebelled and began to boycott the network.

Alternative version of the appearance of the dish

There is a version that chickpea balls appeared among the ancient Phoenicians. The people lived in the modern territory of Lebanon and Syria. It is believed that falafel was a staple food for the poor, who did not have the means to buy meat or raise their own livestock.

The advent of Christianity contributed to the spread of chickpea snacks. Regular fasts forced the population to look for alternatives to meat, so falafel began to be cooked in every home.

Useful Properties

The main component of the dish is chickpeas ^[6]. Consider a variant of dietary falafel, which is served with a lot of vegetables, thin Armenian lavash, and the chickpea cake itself is baked or fried in a non-stick frying pan without oil.

Maintaining natural beauty and health

Lysine is concentrated in chickpeas. It is an essential acid from which protein compounds are formed. Lysine is essential for growth, tissue repair, production of antibodies, enzymes and hormones.

The daily dose of lysine is about 2-3 grams.

This amino acid protects the human body from viruses, including HPV (human papillomavirus). In 2003, the study “The effect of dietary lysine deficiency on the immune response to Newcastle disease vaccination in chickens” was conducted, which proved that an amino acid deficiency can lead to immunodeficiency states. ^[7].

The substance supports the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, protects the walls of arteries from blockage, thereby preventing many diseases.

Lack of lysine affects protein synthesis, leading to:

• fatigue;
• decrease in working capacity;
• growth retardation;
• a sharp decrease in body weight;
• loss of appetite;
• excessive irritability;
• hemorrhages in the eyeball;
• anemia (malokroviyu);
• loss and deterioration of the hairline;
• pathologies of the reproductive system.

The effect of fiber on the body

Fiber is the coarse part of plants that is not digested by the body. The substance is found exclusively in plant foods and is vital for a quality and healthy human life. Cellulose is responsible for:

• regulation of blood glucose levels ^[8];
• satiety, which prevents overeating and obesity ^[9];
• work and protection of the cardiovascular system;
• high-quality energy exchange;
• normalization of cholesterol levels ^[10];
• condition of the skin ^[11];
• general well-being of a person.

Protein Replenishment

The most important component in the composition of Turkish peas is protein. By its quantity, chickpeas are the absolute leader among legumes. ^[12]. Plant-based chickpea protein is highly satiating, easy to digest and supports human life ^[13].

The component is especially important for vegans and vegetarians. Due to the use of exclusively plant foods, it is very difficult to stabilize the balance of proteins-fats-carbohydrates. Lack or excess of one of the components will certainly lead to disturbances in the functioning of the body, diseases or a depressed state.

Improvement of metabolic processes

Falafel is richly seasoned with natural spices that have a beneficial effect on metabolism. Spicy food causes rapid satiety, speeds up metabolism and helps the body absorb food faster and more efficiently.

Moreover, the spices that are added to the snack have immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and detox properties. Spices give the dish not only an expressive flavor palette, but also bring tremendous health benefits. ^[4], ^[5]

classic falafel recipe

It is almost impossible to control the cooking process of a dish served in falafel. To prepare a snack as healthy as possible, you need to make it yourself. Use minimal oil (or no oil at all), freely vary the ingredients, create your own combinations.

We need:

• chickpeas – 250 g;
• onion – 1 head;
• garlic – 5 denticles;
• juice of 1 lemon – 4 tablespoons;
• chopped parsley – 1 tablespoon;
• chopped cilantro – 2 tablespoons;
• chili pepper – 5 g;
• zira (crushed cumin) – 2 teaspoons;
• chopped coriander – 1 teaspoon;
• rice flour (can be replaced with whole grain) – 2 tablespoons;
• vegetable oil to taste – 1 tablespoon;
• soda – ½ teaspoon;
• raw sesame – 2 tablespoons;
• natural yogurt without fillers – 20 ml;
• tahini (sesame paste) – 70 g.

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas in cold filtered water overnight. In the morning, throw it in a colander, let the liquid drain. It is important that the chickpeas lie in a colander for at least 30 minutes and dry well. Chop the onion and garlic into small cubes. Chickpeas, greens, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, beat in a blender until smooth. Mix baking soda with rice flour and beat the mixture in a blender bowl. Then send spices and 2 tablespoons of filtered cold water. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The mixture should stick well and roll into balls. If you skip the cooling step, the falafel will fall apart and stick to your hands and cutlery.

We’re preparing the sauce. Combine tahini, natural yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, minced garlic. Mix the sauce thoroughly. Its consistency should resemble liquid viscous honey. If the sauce is too thick and dry, add natural yogurt or tahini.

Wet your hands with water and start forming tight circles with the chickpea mixture. The approximate weight of each flattened ball is 25 grams. Sprinkle the falafel with sesame seeds and send to a hot frying pan (up to 180 ° C). Fry the falafel on each side with a drop of vegetable oil. Place the chickpea balls on a paper towel to remove excess oil. To reduce the calorie content, you can bake falafel in the oven or fry in a non-stick frying pan.

Serve immediately after cooking with natural yoghurt and tahini sauce.

Contraindications to the use of the dish

It is recommended to eat falafel only in trusted establishments that monitor their reputation and are responsible for product quality. Always choose baked falafel or pan fried without oil. Deep-frying “enriches” the snack with extra bad fat, cholesterol, and empty calories that won’t add to your health, but the snack will taste good. If you do not trust establishments or want to experiment, cook classic falafel yourself.

Chickpeas have no absolute contraindications. It should be excluded from the diet only in case of individual intolerance, which is extremely rare. All legumes belong to the group of so-called “heavy” foods: they are quite nutritious and high in calories. The body has to spend a lot of time digesting and absorbing chickpeas. In some cases, when the digestion process is delayed, the beans cause fermentation.

Due to this feature, the amount of chickpeas in the diet should be reduced in case of gastrointestinal disorders, gout, peptic ulcers, bladder pathologies, stool and blood circulation disorders. ^[14]. In old age, when the metabolism slows down, the use of chickpeas must be agreed with the therapist.

In order for the process of assimilation of chickpeas to go as quickly and safely as possible, learn how to combine products correctly. A few hours before a meal, drink a glass of water with lemon and mint, and add plenty of vegetables to the falafel itself. They will speed up metabolism, help food to be better absorbed, eliminate heaviness and pain in the abdominal cavity.

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