• Falafel was developed in the Egyptian port city, Alexandria

• The importance of falafel is its quickness and portability while being highly nutritious making it a staple in the Egyptian diet

• The first falafel was made with fava beans. Falafel got its name from the Egyptian name for fava beans "ful"

• Falafel is more commonly made with Chickpeas around the world but Egyptian falafel recipes follow the traditional recipe consisting of fava beans.

• It is made by soaking beans to soften them, mixing spices in until the beans form a paste, shaping the dough into balls, then frying

• It is a favorite street food - another name for Falafel is Ta'ameya or "little bite"

• Falafel is often served with tahini sauce, tomato, onions, and pita bread

Watch this short video to learn how!

• It shares similarities with the food of the Eastern Mediterranean region,

• Common ingredients are onions, vegetables, beans, lentils, and lamb.

• The reported staple meal of over 50% of Egyptian households consists of; wheat bread, sugar, ghee or butter, vegetable oil, milk, and tea.

• Meat is expensive and is eaten more in urban areas.

• In coastal areas fish dishes are popular

• Egyptian cuisine does not heavily rely on "Spicy" spices

• The usual spices are garlic, onion, salt and pepper, and cumin, dill, coriander, saffron, and bay leaf

• Other common dishes are Dolmas, hummus, falafel, shawarma, kebab, kofta, lentils, pasta, pita bread, pigeon, chicken, and lamb