Egyptian falafel competes against hamburger, pizza
Egypt, Local, 7/9/2001

The "falafel" is a main staple of Egyptian cuisine and is famous as an "Arab fast food" dish found on the streets all over the world from Cairo to New York.

Falafel is made up of beans and green leafy vegetables which are grinded along with spices, made into round patties and later covered with sesame seeds and fried in hot oil.

Falafel which could be served either plain or in a sandwich, is spreading in American and European restaurants and competing against hamburgers and pizzas.

A "falafel war" has begun between Egyptians and Israelis in the Netherlands with Israeli restaurants trying to cook up falafels which are similar to Egyptian ones, the daily Egyptian "Al-Akhbar" newspaper reported Sunday.

The Israeli falafel could not compete with the Egyptian falafel because of the low demand for Israeli falafel in comparison to the Egyptian one.

The paper highlighted the importance of falafel in scientific studies and revealed that a center for nutritional research and technology has come up with a new recipe for a new type of falafel made up of fish by using fish protein that has a high nutritional value.

One of the most famous Egyptian falafel salesman in Cairo told the newspaper that eating falafel for the Egyptian farmers coming from the country was a luxury in the past.

He added that the Egyptian falafel has a secret recipe which has been passed on throughout the ages and from generation to generation which is why it is difficult to capture the "taste" of the Egyptian falafel.

The Egyptian falafel seller said each restaurant has its own special addition to the basic falafel recipe.

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