falafel

American  

[fuh-lah-fuhl] / fəˈlɑ fəl /

Sometimes falafil or felafel

noun

Middle Eastern Cooking.

falafels plural

1. a small croquette made with ground chickpeas or fava beans and spices, often served with salad and tahini in pita bread.

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falafel British  

/ fəlˈɑːfəl /

noun

1. a ball or cake of ground spiced chickpeas, deep-fried and often served with pitta bread

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• falafels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of falafel

First recorded in 1950–55; from Levantine Arabic falāfil, plural of filfil “pepper”; possibly from Persian pilpil, from Sanskrit pippalī “long pepper,” or from Aramaic pilpāl “small round object, peppercorn”; cf. pepper ( def. )

Explanation

Falafel is a Middle Eastern food that's made from ground fava beans or chickpeas. Fried balls of falafel are usually served inside a pita or other flatbread. Yum! Good falafel is crispy on the outside, soft and savory inside, and served like a sandwich with toppings including tahini sauce, hummus, chopped cucumber, and tomato. The exact origins of this delicious food is uncertain, but there is an active controversy around who can claim falafel as their own—Israelis, Lebanese, and Egyptians (and others) all say that falafel comes from their country. In Arabic, falafil means "crunchy."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

falafel falafels

The menu centers on ultra-creamy hummus bowls served with pillowy pita puffs and topped with everything from falafel to Wagyu shawarma.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

He found his way to Ramallah, where he opened a successful downtown falafel restaurant to make a living, and above all feed his family still in Gaza.

From Barron's ● May 9, 2026

He says that recently many families could not even afford falafel – a cheap, traditional snack.

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025

Hidden in the rubble were the falafel restaurant whose owner learned his trade over the border in Acre, Israel; the sweets shop; the stationary store that was a one-stop shop for kids returning to school.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024

The falafel, wrapped in foil, is warm and messy in his hands.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

In the last decade or so, younger Arab Americans have raised Little Arabia’s profile on social media through photos of falafels, shawarma and lamb shanks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2022

You'll find recipes for homemade falafels, meatloaf, ragu sauce, home fries, Martha Stewart's always-popular one-pan pasta, and cheese-stuffed burgers.

From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2022

"They could be made into protein shakes, protein smoothies, they could be insect burgers, falafels, muffins anything you could think of really," she said.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2021

I decided to embrace the true spirit of Pop Rocks and placed them front and center on top of my falafels.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2020

At the party’s rally in Würzburg, attendees skipped the usual campaign fare of sausages and sauerkraut in favor of vegan falafels dressed in coconut and ginger.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 12, 2018