MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINES

BY: AISHU SENTHIL

Ah, the taste of falafels, the texture of hummus!

Middle Eastern cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines around the world and is quickly gaining more recognition. However, the history of this cuisine- which dates back to ancient times- is often contested, and hence various interesting theories have been made on how this delicious selection of dishes came to be.

Middle Eastern cuisine, like all other cuisines, is influenced by the forces of history. Factors such as the Mediterranean climate, the ancient religions, and their beliefs as well as European, African, and Asian influence through the trade routes passing through the Middle East that have been used for centuries.

For instance, due to the prominence of Islam in the Middle East in the past and the importance of Haram, there are only a few non-vegetarian dishes: usually lamb, chicken, or beef would be skewed or grilled. Most of the protein in dishes came from cheeses, legumes, and yogurt. The influence of trading routes and culture of neighboring regions can also be seen in the abundance of figs, nuts, and dates from invaders, spices like cumin, turmeric, and garlic from eastern regions like India or dumplings and okra from Africa are used in the Middle Eastern dishes today.

The various countries included in the Middle East have also influenced Middle Eastern cuisine with their own cultures. For instance, Lebanese culture has influenced the extensive use of olive oil in dishes as well as the creation of Baba Ganoush, Falafel, Fattoush, Baklava, and Shwarma.

Egyptian culture has also influenced the existence of Ful Mudammas (inspired by hummus), Koshary, and Basboosa. Arabic beliefs have additionally helped create Tabouleh, Batata Harra, and Kibeh, as well as establish the importance of hospitality in Middle Eastern cuisine.

A popular example is the creation of the Falafel, which has at least three different plausible homes. The first, and most common theory of origin, is Egypt. Falafel is believed to date back about 1,000 years to the Egyptian Copts, who brought it with them from the Middle East. The Copts- who were a Christian ethnoreligious group- made a similar dish with fava beans called ta’amiya (known to first emerge in Alexandria) as a meat-free food for Lent, and Jewish pioneers took on these tasty fritters and made their own version with chickpeas, which became the falafel we know today.

The name for Fava beans in Egyptian is "ful", and it is believed that the word falafel hence comes from the ta’amiya recipe and thus supports this theory. However, this theory is opposed based on the fact that ‘falafel’ is not a Coptic word, and the vegetable oil used to fry falafels was too expensive in ancient times to be used to cook such a simple dish.

The origin of these Middle Eastern dishes, however, has been much contested by the various countries in the Middle East claiming to be the creators of these dishes.

Another theory of the falafel’s origin places the creation in more modern times, around the late 19th century. This is about the time when the dish started appearing in Egyptian literature, right after the British occupation in 1882. This theory suggests British officers enjoyed fried vegetable croquettes when they were in India and asked their Egyptian cooks to prepare a version with local ingredients, thus leading to the creation of falafels.

The falafel is also widely known to have a home in Israel since they are incredibly popular in the region. This popularity even dates back to the early 20th century, when falafels reached the Jewish communities in Palestine. Along with the indigenous population, the halutzim (Jewish immigrants) adopted it readily.

While its Arabian history would have normally raised alarm for other Israeli citizens, the halutzim gave no thought to whether it was an ‘Arab’ food or not, having long grown used to cultural exchange with their Muslim neighbors. They simply integrated it into their own cuisine, as they had countless other foods. The advantages of the dish certainly helped its appeal, since not only was it tasty and filling, but also simple, and the ingredients could either be bought cheaply or grown without difficulty. They were also convenient to eat not easily misshapen and could be served either hot or cold. This popularity in Palestine then spread to the rest of Israel, becoming a favorite. This prominence of falafels then ended up associating the dish with Israel. The history of middle eastern cuisine has many versions, and no one version can be proven without a doubt due to the lack of concrete and abundant historical evidence. However, the various theories that have been formulated and continue to be made certainly provide an interesting backstory for every Middle Eastern dish, and hopefully more concrete historical evidence related to Middle Eastern cuisine will be excavated in the future.

*Sources:

*https://gourmandelle.com/middleeastern-cuisine/

*https://aladdinshouston.com/a-shorthistory-offalafel/#:~:text=Falafel's%20Origins&text =Some%20maintain%20that%20it%20dat es,in%20the%20late%2019th%20century.

*https://www.historytoday.com/archive/hi storians-cookbook/falafel

*https://theculturetrip.com/middleeast/israel/articles/history-of-falafel/