Calories in falafel

Information on Falafel

Falafel is one of the most widely recognized types of foodwhich originates from the Middle East. It is available virtually everywhere andthat is why it may be a good idea why one should be informed about itscalories. Falafel is actually a spiced up patty which is usually made from favabeans or ground chickpeas.

The patty needs to be fried as well. Falafel alsocomes in so many different varieties, so it can be purchased in a pita, in alafa or in falafel balls. Pita serves as some sort of a pocket, while lafa is atype of flat bread which gets wrapped around the falafel. When served in balls,falafel usually comes with hot sauce, different types of salads and pickledvegetables. Falafel can be served as a starter, but it can also be used as aquick snack. In some cases it may also serve a purpose of an appetizer.

Theactual word falafel comes from the Arabic language and it stands for somethingthat can be characterized by a crunchy and fluffy texture. Falafel may also beserved in the form of a croquette or a as mash made from fava beans. It canalso be served in sandwiches. Most Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisinesusually involve pita when it comes to serving a falafel.

Pita is made bysteaming the dough and it can also be a significant source of calories. Falafeldoes not involve any cooking of the fava beans. The process involves soakingthe seeds with the bicarbonate of soda, grinding them with coriander, onion,cumin and parsley and then shaping them into patties. The patties get deepfried afterwards. It is also very common to add some sesame to the pattiesprior to the frying.

Calories in Falafel

Falafel originates from Egypt but it got spread to theEurope and the United States by the Israelis. Egyptian falafel involves the useof fava beans, while the Middle Eastern version involves the use of chickpeas.Each patty of falafel contains 60 calories while homemade falafel may containup to 58 calories. Each falafel ball may contain up to 49 calories.

Eachfalafel pita sandwich may contain up to 450 calories, while the whole wheatbread pita sandwich may be loaded with only 170 calories. A regular falafel maycontain 495 calories. Falafel wrap may contain just 240 calories while thefalafel mix may be even healthier with only 120 calories.