Falafel ( Arabic: فلافل falaafil , Hebrew: פלאפל), also known in Egypt and Sudan as ta'meya (طعمية), is a fried ball or patty made from spiced fava beans and/or chickpeas. Invented by Egyptian bedouinscitation needed], it has become a popular form of fast food in the Levant and in the Mashriq (Arab East), where it is also served as a mezze (snack). The word "falafel" is the plural of the Arabic word فلفل (filfil), meaning pepper.
Falafel is usually served as a sandwich wrapped in pita bread, and outside the Middle East, the term "falafel" commonly refers to this sandwich—falafel in a pita is typical street food or fast food. Along with the falafel balls, which may be crushed onto the bread or added whole, topping variations are usually included. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a mezze. During Ramadan they are sometimes eaten as part of an iftar, the meal which breaks the daily fast after sunset.
Falafel has been part of the diet of Mizrahi Jews for centuries and is a staple of the Israeli diet. The dish is often referred to as the national dish of Israel.
Falafel is now seen as a uniting, pan-Middle-Eastern dish. In recent years, immigration from the Middle East to Western countries has brought with it a broader availability of Middle Eastern cuisine, and the falafel sandwich has become a popular and iconic food within alternative fast food or slow food movements, and indeed has spread worldwide.