Is Falafel Halal?

Falafel are crisp fried balls or patties of ground chickpeas or fava beans, herbs and spices, eaten across the Middle East.^[2] Nothing in the mixture is animal, and falafel is Halal. The one thing worth asking about outside Muslim-majority areas is what else shares the fryer.^[1]

Chickpea or fava bean

In the Levant, from Jordan to Lebanon, falafel is made from soaked (not cooked) chickpeas ground with parsley, coriander, onion, garlic, cumin and ground coriander seed, with a pinch of bicarbonate to lighten it. In Egypt, the same snack is called ta'miya and is made from dried fava beans, which gives it a greener inside. Both are deep-fried in vegetable oil until the outside is dark and crunchy.

How it is served

Falafel is tucked into flatbread with tahini sauce, tomato, cucumber, pickled turnip and parsley, sometimes with hummus, fried aubergine or amba, a tangy mango pickle. It is also eaten on a plate with salads, or on its own as a breakfast and street snack. All of these are plant-based.

Where to take care

• Shared fryers. In a mixed kitchen abroad, falafel may be fried in the same oil as chicken, battered sausages or other meat. Ask whether it has its own fryer.
• Yoghurt and garlic sauces in some Western shops are made with mayonnaise; check its vinegar and emulsifiers if that matters to you.
• Packaged falafel and mixes are almost always plant-based; the label will show any flavouring or coating.

At a Middle Eastern falafel stand, a falafel sandwich is simply Halal food. See also hummus, its usual partner.