The Falafel Wars Come to London — and Israel Loses to Egypt!
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Josefin Dolsten May 4, 2016
Egypt was declared Sunday to have the most delicious falafel, beating its Israeli, Palestinian and Middle Eastern-fusion competitors at a London festival.
Falafel is popular throughout the Middle East, although its origins have been hotly debated.
Israeli chef Uri Dinay, who came in second place, and whose falafel the Guardian described as “crisp but slightly dense” said the chickpea balls did not originate in Israel.
“We didn’t invent falafel,” Dinay said, who admitted that the Egyptian rendition of the chickpea balls had been the tastiest.
Egyptian Moustafa Elrefaey, whose falafel the Guardian deemed “light and delicate and delicious,” was not as humble. “I don’t think falafel is Egyptian. I know it is,” he said.
A Lebanese team was unable to compete because members were denied visas to the U.K.
The event was part of the UN’s International Year of Pulses, which aims to highlight the nutritional benefits of legume seeds, such as peas and beans.
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