Falafel, a staple Middle Eastern dish—and a popular street food around the world—that consists of fried spiced balls or patties of ground chickpeas or fava beans (or a mixture of both) stuffed into a pita or wrapped in laffa bread with hot sauce, tahini sauce, and generally some saladlike combination of tomato, lettuce, cucumber, onion, parsley, and yogurt. After being formed into small balls or patties, it’s fried and eaten in a number of ways. This is because many Jews have a medical deficiency called G6PD, a hereditary enzymatic deficiency that can be triggered by fava beans. This sauce is perfect for drizzling on salad bowls and roasted veggies, but it's best on a tasty falafel sandwich or salad. Falafel is often seasoned with traditional Middle Eastern spices like cumin and ground coriander. Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern dish typically made from a combination of ground chickpeas, herbs, spices, onions, and dough. It's made with the Mediterranean sesame seed paste and lemon, which gives it a bright zingy flavor. Falafel is a Middle Eastern dish made of mashed chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, and spices. Falafel was originally made with fava beans and continues to be made this way in Egypt and other Arab countries, but Israeli falafel is almost universally made from chickpeas. One of the most popular ways to eat it is in a pita sandwich topped with tahini and veggies. Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food , commonly served in a pita , which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as … When we say “ falafel,” we’re referring to falafel balls—deep-fried balls or patties of ground chickpeas or fava beans (or a blend of both). Another plus: it's plant based and vegan! Get Recipe. Falafel is a middle eastern recipe made of chickpeas or fava beans as the main ingredient. Falafel (/ f ə ˈ l ɑː f əl /; Arabic: فلافل , [fæˈlæːfɪl] ) is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. It is usually deep-fried when mixed with other ingredients and vegetables such as onions, pepper, seasoning, and lemon juice; falafel can be eaten as it is or stuffed in a pita bread pocket with tomatoes and tahini drizzled on it as a spread. Chickpeas came from the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Basically, they’re savory bean fritters.