falafel

IPA/fəˈlæfl/
KK[fəlˈɑfəl]IPA/fəˈlɑːfl/

falafel — noun

  • falafelsingular
  • falafelsplural

1. a savoury Middle Eastern snack made from ground chickpeas mixed with herbs and s

1.nounB1
Definition

a savoury Middle Eastern snack made from ground chickpeas mixed with herbs and spices, shaped into small balls or flat patties and deep-fried until golden

Example

At the market, Aiko bought a fresh falafel wrap stuffed with tomatoes and pickles.

collocation: falafel wrap / falafel sandwich

The falafel balls were perfectly golden — crispy on the outside and soft inside.

describing texture: crispy outside, soft inside

Common collocations
  • falafel wrap
  • falafel sandwich
  • falafel balls
  • falafel plate
  • fresh falafel
  • homemade falafel

Usage Note

Can be used as both uncountable (referring to the dish in general: 'Falafel is popular in the Middle East') and countable (referring to individual pieces: 'She ate six falafels'). The countable plural form falafels is common in informal speech.

Common Mistakes

I ordered a felafel sandwich.
I ordered a falafel sandwich.
The correct spelling is falafel with an 'a' after 'f', not 'e'.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, and pita are all staples of Middle Eastern cuisine, but they serve different roles on the table. Falafel refers to deep-fried balls or patties made from ground chickpeas with herbs — it is a substantial, protein-rich item often eaten as a main dish stuffed into pita. Hummus is a smooth, cold dip made from cooked chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic, served as a spread or side. Baba ganoush is another cold dip, but its base is roasted eggplant rather than chickpeas, giving it a smoky, creamy flavour. Pita is the soft, round flatbread used to scoop dips or wrap fillings. Learners often use 'falafel' to mean the entire sandwich, but strictly speaking falafel is the fried bean ball itself — a 'falafel wrap' contains falafels plus vegetables and sauce inside pita bread.

hummus ↗baba ganoushpita bread

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • order falafel
  • make falafel
  • eat falafel
  • serve falafel
  • a plate of falafel

Prepositions

Etymology

ArabicEnglish

Falafel comes from the Arabic word فَلَافِل (falāfil), a plural form of فِلْفِل (filfil) meaning 'pepper' or 'chili'. The dish originated in Egypt, where it was made from fava beans, and later spread across the Levant where chickpeas became the main ingredient. The word entered English in the mid-20th century as Middle Eastern food became popular in Western countries.