Talk:Falafel

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Good articleFalafel has been listed as one of the Agriculture, food and drink good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Article milestones
DateProcessResult
February 24, 2011Good article nomineeListed
September 20, 2011Good article reassessmentKept
Current status: Good article

Inappropriate paragraph

This paragraph in the introduction is inappropriate and should be removed: The Palestinian chickpea-only version of the falafel has also been adopted into Israeli cuisine, where it now features prominently and is proclaimed as the country's national dish – a situation which has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese, and other Arab groups alike as amounting to cultural appropriation. 82.19.192.8 (talk) 17:40, 7 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Why do you object to it? It is well sourced and I believe factually correct. Do you deny that there is debate about the cultural appropriation of Arab foods by Israelis? The phrasing is I think
WP:NPOV, not taking sides on the issue. --Macrakis (talk) 17:55, 7 September 2023 (UTC)[reply
]
Citation needed that Israel appropriated food. Israel is a middle eastern culture just like the others. 64.121.35.108 (talk) 13:00, 10 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Macrakis, I think there is debate because there are Jews from several Arab lands who have settled in Israel therefore, not true cultural appropriation. Either more sources or different wording is needed. Chavmen (talk) 03:58, 11 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Here are some constructive suggestions and comment:
The Palestinian chickpea-only version of the falafel has also been adopted into Israeli cuisine, where it now features prominently and is proclaimed as the country's national dish. MISLEADING AND NOT NECESSARY FOR LEDE. DOESN'T READ AS NEUTRAL.
History:
The dish later migrated northwards to the Levant, where chickpeas replaced the fava beans, and from there spread to other parts of the Middle East. THERE WERE JEWS THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST INCLUDING A SMALL POPULATION IN PALESTINE. THEREFORE STATING THE FOLLOWING:
The identification of Falafel with Israeli cuisine has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arab populations as amounting to cultural appropriation.
SEEMS CONTRADICTORY.
ALSO, RAVIV IS THE ONLY SCHOLARLY SOURCE CITING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION ALONG WITH OTHER ARAB ORGANISATIONS.
CONSIDERING...it was consumed by
Egyptian Jews AND was adopted in the diet of early Jewish immigrants to the Jewish communities of Ottoman Syria
. WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO STATE JEWS AND ARABS CONSUMED/MADE FALAFEL AT VARIOUS POINTS THROUGHOUT HISTORY IN LEDE.
Thoughts? Chavmen (talk) 09:20, 11 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
The main note that I have on the above is: read
Iskandar323 (talk) 11:06, 11 November 2023 (UTC)[reply
]
Of course Arab Jews (as well as Arab Christians etc.) in Egypt and the Levant ate falafel, but it was not regarded as a distinctively Jewish dish until recently. Treating falafel as a "national food" makes a claim about its distinctiveness.
Not sure what your point about the "lamenting" part is. This is an
WP:NPOV
statement, not claiming in WP's voice that it is cultural appropriation, just reporting on what others say. Do you disagree that others say this?
Not sure what you mean by Raviv "and other Arab organizations". Raviv is an Israeli-American scholar who has researched this issue and published it as a book and as far as I know has nothing to do with Arab organizations. --Macrakis (talk) 11:20, 11 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Macrakis, I'll try to be more specific.
  1. If the lede is a summary, then it would make more sense, judging by the article and each section to say something like this:
Falafel is a popular dish with a disputed origin, likely originating in Egypt and later spreading to the Middle East. The name is derived from the Arabic word for pepper. The dish involves fritters made from fava beans or chickpeas, often shaped into balls or patties and deep-fried or oven-baked. Preparation methods vary, with fava beans used in Egyptian cuisine and chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine. Falafel gained popularity across the Levant and the wider Middle East, often served during Ramadan. In Israel, the Palestinian chickpea falafel is considered a national dish, adopted by early Jewish immigrants. Falafel has gained global popularity as a vegetarian food in Europe, particularly Germany, and North America.
This just seems to me to fit more with WP:NPOV and for summation purposes.
2. In terms of Raviv, I understand he studied it significantly, but I think it would be more specific (according to him also) that it wasn't a Jewish Ashkenazi dish yet Syrian and Egyptian Jews did prepare and eat this dish. Specifically here: Falafel was never a specifically Jewish dish, but it was consumed by
Egyptian Jews
. Makes more sense. Also, one person is not enough experts on the topic, hence why I then brought this up:
3. In terms of my Arab Organisations comment, I was referring to this sentence:...has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arab populations as amounting to cultural appropriation. I didn't mean to get this sentence confused with Raviv - they were too separate points.
To someone reading the article who doesn't look at sources, I would want to see both sides of the spectrum.
But I will get out of here now and leave it to some ECs to figure out :) Chavmen (talk) 11:27, 12 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, will put in italics next time. Just wanted to create the distinction. Chavmen (talk) 10:58, 12 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@
Iskandar323 :) Chavmen (talk) 11:30, 12 November 2023 (UTC)[reply
]
Raviv writes in citation [1] “The Jewish population in Palestine, the early halutzim, or pioneers - adopted the local Arab version made with childpeas. By the 1920’s falafel had become a popular snack with the younger generation." That does not directly correspond to the citation, which implies it is a Palestinian dish, with Palestinian referencing the modern usage of the term. In the 1920's the "Palestinians" were the people who lived in Palestine, including Jews, and Raviv is directly referencing the Jews in her paper. The citation should be removed, or it should be clarified that by "Palestinian, Raviv was referring to the Halutzim. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Psycholing (talk • contribs) 22:28, 19 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Politico-cultural implications

I'm wondering if this should go into its own section rather than being covered under History>countries? Honestly we could probably create Falafel wars. Valereee (talk) 11:26, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

And if we did, we should have a summary of it here as it's clearly relevant. VR talk 21:21, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Sure. Any food item that is the subject of gastronationalistic argument needs that to be mentioned (at whatever length is appropriate) in the article. But IMO the sections on the different countries (or regional/ethnic variations, whatever group is arguing with whatever other group) should focus on the difference between the versions of the food rather than the politico-cultural implications. It's a food. Yes, people use it as a symbol, but that doesn't change the fact this article is about the food. An article about a food should be about history, yes, but it should really be heavy on ingredients/preparation/serving and the food's importance in cultural traditions such as commonly being served at certain celebrations. Its modern importance as a political symbol should be part of the article, but probably in its own section. And if that section is so important that it starts to be the majority of the article, it should be a spinoff. Because this article is about a food. Valereee (talk) 21:54, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I disagree that the encyclopedia article about a food should be heavy on ingredients/preparation/serving, include yes but focused on no, though it definitely should be heavy on the food's importance in cultural tradition, but I dont think an encyclopedia article on a food should be heavy on what would be in a cookbook. I think thats losing the forest for the trees, this is supposed to have encyclopedic content about the topic, and that it is mashed up fava beans or chickpeas and deep fried is not really what I think of when I think of "encyclopedia". nableezy - 22:26, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I have to disagree. The most important facts about a food are its history, use, ingredients, preparation, serving, traditional/cultural uses. Fava beans vs chickpeas is important; different regions/cultures have different ingredients available. Deep fried vs baked vs boiled vs fermented is important; different cultures have different methods available. Breakfast food vs feast food is important. Served hot or cold, served as a main or side or usually eaten as a street food, ubiquitous at weddings...these are important when we're talking about a food. Valereee (talk) 22:35, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Sure, but it shouldnt be the focus of the encyclopedia article on the food. Like should we focus on cookbooks or on academic works about the food? Id say the latter, nableezy - 22:48, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
We should focus on what reliable sources are saying about the food itself, in the article about the food. The symbolic/political uses of a food are not about the food, so they're secondary. If they're important enough, we create Political importance of falafel. Valereee (talk) 22:51, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
WP:POVFORKed away from the subject matter about which there is a gastronationalistic dispute? I don't think so. It's what separates a cookery book from an encyclopedia. DeCausa (talk) 23:11, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply
]
I disagree that things like cultural appropriation of a food is not about the food, and I also agree with DeCausa that what youre suggesting is a POVFORK, that things that dont follow a certain line need to be hived off to some secondary article. The topic of "falafel" is made up of what reliable sources discuss about falafel, and here that includes the cultural appropriation of falafel. nableezy - 23:16, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not saying we don't discuss it here, of course we do. It's been politicized, and that's important to understanding the overall subject. But the food itself is the subject of this article. If what academics are discussing is the politicization of the food, they are discussing another subject: the politicization of foods such as falafel, hummus, etc. and the cultural appropriation of Arab foods by Israel. It's not a point of view fork. It's a food that is thousands of years old and which (until very recently, in relative terms) has become a political football. And entire books have been written about that politicization. Articles have appeared in academic journals. A documentary has been made about it.
Yes, it does matter what RS are discussing, and of course peer-reviewed current academic publishing is always best. And if they’re discussing the food, it definitely belongs here, including its recent history of politicization. I think it belongs in a section of its own.
But if what academics are discussing -- and mostly they are -- is the political uses the food is being put to, they aren't discussing the primary subject of this article. It doesn’t mean discussing the fact this food is being used politically doesn’t belong here at all, of course it should be mentioned in whatever way is appropriate. But it does mean academics who study the politics of food are discussing a different subject: The politicization of Middle Eastern foods, or whatever. This is an article about the food itself, and this article should be focused on the food. An article about the politicization of Middle Eastern foods is not a point of view fork. It's a notable subject, valid all on its own. Valereee (talk) 10:55, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Like I said, I disagree, but we can definitely open this up to a wider audience to see what others think. But to me the idea that the politicization of the food is not part of the topic of the food is not one that is making a ton of sense to me, as to me they are clearly discussing the food, and its uses, and its cultural importance, and its symbolism. All of those things are about the food. But Id be happy seeking wider input. nableezy - 15:55, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
It's not that it isn't a part of the topic. It's that it's not the primary subject of this article, which is the food itself. It's not that no discussion of this belongs here, it's that it should be a section, and if that section becomes long enough, with enough citations to reliable sources, it's worth creating an article, and that article is not a fork. Valereee (talk) 16:52, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, agreed on all parts besides it is not the primary subject, it is part of the primary subject to me. But yes, if it overwhelms the article then it can be split off. I dont think that has happened, and either way it would need to be covered here, including in the lead. Hell the fact that it could be its own article further establishes its weight here imo. nableezy - 20:36, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
And I agree with that: the fact it could be its own article does establish the fact it should at minimum be covered here. I think we can probably agree to disagree on what exactly falls under the primary subject.
For me, if we can go to a section, that's good enough for now.
And, yes, like anything else that is important to know about a subject, including in the lead. I feel that there's a good chance we can work out the details of all that as we work. Valereee (talk) 20:42, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I think at the least where it says that it has been described as national dish in Israel that this has drawn complaints of cultural appropriation is appropriate in the portion on Israel, but the more detailed discussion I am fine moving in to a sub-section "Cultural appropriation" below a section on "Cultural significance". nableezy - 21:02, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Nableezy, do you want to take a stab at that, and then I can maybe see what I think? Or would you prefer I try and you see what you think? Valereee (talk) 11:03, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Can try, though to be honest with everything else in the world this is lower on my priority scale than like 27 other things. But I can try, I got a few more in depth sources as well. nableezy - 15:18, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The section would also need to cover the views of the Open Source Food community that denies ownership of any dish to any geographic, ethnic, or religious group. See oue coverage of Jewish appropriation of the foods of Eastern Europe and of the European continent's appropriation of the Inca potato perpetrated by the Spanish conquistadors. SPECIFICO talk 14:57, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Open Source Food community? Valereee (talk) 15:10, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Do you have any sources, any at all, that discuss falafel in such a way? nableezy - 15:18, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

"falafel is generically Middle Eastern, having originated in Egypt and found its way as far as Morocco and Saudi Arabia." per NYT, but attributed to some people so not usable per se. [1] Claudia Roden, born in Egypt and the author of The Book of Jewish Food, confirmed that while falafel was never specifically a Jewish dish, it was certainly eaten by Jews in Egypt and Syria. I'm not sure about "Arab origin." I'm pretty sure falafel was of Egyptian origin, but Arab? Any citation for that? Andre🚐 22:08, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The article says from Egypt? What are you responding to? (edit: oh I see the first line in the lead.
WP:SOFIXIT, or create a section about that issue) nableezy - 22:12, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply
]
Yes, I did [2] Andre🚐 22:13, 22 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
  • I've made a stab at this, trying to find a version that can gain consensus. Valereee (talk) 19:02, 1 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
please do not remove sourced content about the history of falafel. --Supreme Deliciousness (talk) 03:25, 2 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Neutrality Tag

Can’t believe its come to this, but with serious battleground behaviors being exhibited on this page, I’m placing a neutrality tag on the page until actual balanced consensus can be achieved on the political implications of falafel.

There are clear biases that are being railroaded into the edit. The largest Jewish ethnic subgroup in Israel are Jews from Muslim and Arab countries, yet accusations of cultural appropriation from both Palestinians and “other arab populations” are being given emphasis in the lede without any grounds for counterpoint? Not remotely neutral. Mistamystery (talk) 20:44, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Please provide something other than personal opinion to justify the tag. Please explain why what several reliable sources discuss should not be included. Please explain why when
WP:LEAD says we should include noteworthy controversies about a topic in the lead you think we should remove them. And please do so with sources. nableezy - 21:00, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply
]
Because the representation of the controversy is one-sided, and excludes counter information now only available in the body that then flatly mischaracterizes the nature of the controversy. I’m putting the tag back on. Mistamystery (talk) 23:13, 27 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I've been doing some work on the article, do you still feel it is POV, Mistamystery? Falafel most likely originated in Egypt but the time is unknown; some say ancient, some say modern. It predates the modern states Israel or Palestine, or many of the nations on the present Middle Eastern map. Egyptians, Yemenites and others from the Arab world brought it to Israel. Other civilizations have a falafel inherited via the Egyptians: the Persians and the Greeks, who aren't Arab, but also had contact and their own spin on falafel. Andre🚐 00:14, 23 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
This neutrality tag was not helpful and I have removed it. See Special:Diff/1191574503—Alalch E. 10:23, 24 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I agree the tag is not helpful. I believe Mistamystery was saying that the lead doesn't need to include the accusation of cultural appropriation. I think I agree. Can we remove that from the lead? It would of course remain in the body. Is this really one of the most notable aspects of Falafel? Can't we all share this food that everyone inherited probably from ancient Egyptians, who were neither Arab Palestinians nor Jewish Israelis? Andre🚐 10:25, 24 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I want to be very clear: the lede is not neutral and does not present a balanced view of the "controversy" (which I also do not think is sufficient to be included in the lede at all). This is why the neutrality tag needs to be restored and the above comments do not counter why I put it there in the first place. I merely
left the convo for a few days and someone took the silence as grounds to remove it without actually addressing the clear issue.
The point-counterpoint is not "Israelis consider it to be a national dish but Palestinians/Arabs consider that to be cultural appropriation" is not remotely balanced. The "Israelis" being referenced includes Jews from Arab countries (including Egypt, where falafel originates from), so it is non-sensical to place a claim of Arabs making accusation of cultural appropriation without counter-mention of the Arab Jewish influence on Israeli cuisine and dietary attitudes.
Until this specifically is resolved (plus resurgent coatrack concerns all over the page that are an attempt to turn it into a PIA conflict battleground), then no, I do not consider this page to have resolved its neutrality issues. I will be (again) restoring the neutrality tag shortly until this is resolved, and will be happy to pull in an admin for feedback. Mistamystery (talk) 21:02, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
The controversy isn't about shared cuisine: it is about appropriation and lack of attribution of the origins of certain dishes. If a dish is thought to have originated in Egypt, it can reasonably be construed as "Egyptian"; but if an Egyptian moves to country X, taking that dish with them, it is not necessarily reasonable to then construe that dish as "country X-ish" in turn.
Iskandar323 (talk) 23:56, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply
]
I recently had to remove a quote that someone had added into this article which referred to those who supposedly were “appropriating” the cuisine as “criminals and misfits from American jewish ghettoes”, which I think both illuminates the core issue here (insofar as a distinct and venomous pseudo-legitimized bias finding its way both into sources and discourse on the subject) as well as a clear (and questionable) agenda certain editors are attempting to push here that - in spite of people’s appreciable frustration with all things Israel and Israelis - just simply does not add up.
There is no dispute as to the genesis of falafel becoming an Israeli national dish. It was already widely consumed across the Arab world (including by Jews living both inside of pre-1900 Palestine, as well as across the middle east). When Jewish migration started to rise in the 19th century, cuisines were carried along from one location to another, new ones were adopted and adapted and modified and collided into the eclectic mix of influences that defines Israeli cuisine today. As a new community, and later national cuisine started to formulate itself, falafel (alongside many other popularly consumed dishes with influences from far and wide) came to be considered a staple dish.
The lede does not currently say “Palestinians”, it says “Palestinians and Arabs” criticize this cultural appropriation, which in effect creates set up a lose-lose nexus that is profoundly unacademic, and nefariously so in its insistence that it somehow is a legitimate argument worthwhile of an article lede. A Jewish Israeli who ate chickpea-based falafel in Yemen and continued to do so in Israel is now an “appropriator” in Israel, when he wasn’t one in Yemen?
This argument attempts to say “Israeli cuisine” is at fault, but clearly - given that it attempts to make no account for both the majority of Jewish Israelis who migrated from the Middle East and have often historically included falafel in their diet, or the 20% of Israelis who are Arabs - it is nothing but a byword for the toxic, highly politicized distortive bias that “Israeli” only means “European Ashkenazi Jew”…which we all know it very much doesn’t, and just mathematically is not the case.
None of the sources on the page imply there is any dispute as to the trajectory of falafel dishes. Nor do any of the sources indicate any Israelis are claiming they invented falafel. Nor are there any sources claiming that the concept of falafel as a “national dish” preceded its popularity. It was a popular, cheap street food that grew in popularity alongside many other dishes that were influenced by the collision of subcultures happening at the time in the region.
For it to be cultural appropriation the accusation would have to be applied evenly to all potential appropriators, and that just isn’t the case here. There is a bottlenecked and distorted fixation on one particular group, and we all well know what that is, and is sure as shootin’ isn’t academic or remotely NPOV.
This theory is frankly very much WP:FRINGE and is nothing but a convenient coatrack for people’s general grievances around the conflict. It doesn’t mean we indulge it here.
Someone just make a “food disputes” page or a “cultural appropriation in food” page and let us be done of this in this location. It’s super inappropriate. Mistamystery (talk) 02:01, 29 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Claims of cultural appropriation are subjective and have been attributed as such. It sounds like you disagree with the claims - that's fine as many cases of cultural appropriation and the concept itself is controversial. VR talk 18:07, 31 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I am pointing out an inaccuracy. The page states "The Association of Lebanese Industrialists in 2008 brought a lawsuit against Israel seeking damages for lost revenues, claiming copyright infringement regarding the branding of Israeli falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, and other foods.[25][26][61]" when in fact there is no evidence that such a law suit was ever brought forward. The citations simply refer to a quote about a plan to bring forward a lawsuit about copyright violations. I could find no reference to an actual lawsuit or a resolution or settlement to a lawsuit over copyright violation. This entire portion should be removed as inaccurate, or should be altered to say that such a lawsuit was considered but not brought forward. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Psycholing (talk • contribs) 21:40, 19 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Falafel restaurant protest

“ The controversy has also led to a rise in

antisemitism during the 2023 Israel–Hamas waragainst American Jews with an Israeli-American falafel restaurant in Philadelphia being vandalized by protesters. This event drew condemnation from a White House spokesperson, and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro
, among others.”


The context here is completely taken away and the attribution of antisemitism is contested and therefore the paragraph does not follow Wikipedia’s neutrality. The shop was not THE target of protest, it was a place the protest passed during the march. This is a large corporation that has fired employees for supporting Palestine and whose owner is a cultural ambassador for Israel. Not a mom and pop falafel shop. The owner has hosted and supported many projects boosting Israel, celebrating "Israel's 75th birthday" on the anniversary of the 1948 wars.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/dining/israel-hamas-war-divides-american-chefs.html

This article in the NEW YORK TIMES of all places notes how he has cut off ties with Palestinian contemporaries. Catofminerva (talk) 02:14, 26 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Also it was “vandalised”… Catofminerva (talk) 02:20, 26 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Not sure why whoever removed this cried BLP. Please refrain from doing this again and address my contention. Catofminerva (talk) 13:40, 26 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Catofminerva: I think this has been addressed.VR talk 18:03, 31 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Edit Request

The section on Vegetarianism under history has some awkward/incorrect prose. In particular, the claim that Falafel provided versatility for vegetarians in the US to make meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, and sloppy joes.

1) You can use falafel in these recipes worldwide. This isn't an American only thing.

2) Vegetarians were already able to make these dishes using other vegetarian ingredients like tofu, tempeh, and TVP. It is an additional option though.

The changes I'd like to see: Removing the reference to the USA Rewording it to make it clear that this is a vegetarian option that can be used in common recipes without textual implications that before Falafel, vegetarians couldn't cook these foods. Big Money Threepwood (talk) 04:44, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Also for what its worth, the sources don't make these claims. They are simply links to recipes. Big Money Threepwood (talk) 04:56, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Done. Is this good Big Money Threepwood? VR talk 18:00, 31 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, thank you! Big Money Threepwood (talk) 18:14, 1 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"had took falafel" should be "took falafel"

"had took falafel" should be "took falafel" 2601:582:8400:1CE0:0:0:0:44BD (talk) 19:13, 1 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed. Thanks for picking that up. HiLo48 (talk) 22:38, 1 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
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