Falafel
I cannot say enough about falafel, those gloriously seasoned fried balls are a staple of Middle-Eastern food. Falafel, is thought to be originated from Egypt, where the dish is widely known as ta'amiya in the Cairo dialect. Falafel were eaten for Lent by the Copts of Egypt. They�ve since made their way through the Middle East in various guises, most popularly in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. In case you've never tasted them, falafel is a vegetarian dish, made from a mixture of ground chickpeas and/or fava beans, rolled into walnut-sized balls or patties and deep-fried until browned and crisp on the outside, yielding to a fluffy interior. Some recipes call for fava beans instead of chickpeas, or half fava beans half chickpeas, or only chickpeas. Now, the common theme is that dried beans should be soaked in cold water overnight but not cooked, they are only ground into a paste. In Lebanon, falafel are wrapped in pita bread along with chopped herbs, pickles and a tahini sauce. If yo...