Falafel: calories and preparation

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Connoisseurs associate falafel with Arabic cuisine. In Israel, the dish is something like fast food, appearing daily on the tables of people of all classes. But the difference is that falafel is much he althier than fast food, because the dish is prepared from completely different products. At the moment, his recipe is distributed throughout the world. By the way, many Russians also love falafel. Calorie content, history, recipe and other aspects related to this amazing dish are described in the article.

Falafel: a brief about the dish

Falafel - what is it? In appearance, it resembles cutlets, but there is no meat in the composition. These crunchy balls are actually made from ground chickpeas, which is traditionally used to make them. But in our time, no one is limited to one thing, is not afraid of experiments. There are a wide variety of ways to serve falafel, ranging froman independent dish, ending with a semblance of shawarma.

An amazing dish quickly won recognition around the world. Falafel is especially popular among vegetarians, as its composition is completely vegetable, and the main ingredient, chickpeas, is rich in protein and other useful substances that are so necessary for people who have given up meat. The calorie content of falafel varies depending on the cooking method, so it can be used in different situations: in the daily menu and during the diet.

Where did he come from?

When did falafel enter our lives? In Russia, unfortunately, the dish is not yet very common, although its composition has the simplest ingredients that are sold in the nearest supermarket. Its distribution began in Israel, Egypt and Palestine, where it is an integral part of the national cuisine. There are different opinions regarding its origin as a dish, but many agree that it comes from Egypt. From Arabic, the word "falafel" is translated as "peppers". Perhaps it was consumed during Lent as an alternative to meat, or maybe it was an outlet for those who could not afford meat. Due to its calorie content, falafel did an excellent job with this role. Traditionally, chickpeas are the main ingredient, but other legumes can also play this role.

How is falafel made?

Even someone who is not good at cooking can handle cooking falafel.

• First you need to takethe so-called Turkish chickpeas and soak them for several hours in cold water.
• Now the chickpeas need to be chopped, but it is recommended not to turn them into porridge, that is, not to try too hard.
• Spices and herbs are added to the resulting chickpea paste, as well as a little olive oil. Here you can also add chopped sesame seeds, mixed with a couple of drops of olive oil, pour over everything with lemon juice.
• From the finished mass, balls are formed, which are deep-fried in vegetable oil or in a pan.
• Sometimes flour or an egg is added to the mass instead of olive oil. This is a matter of taste, because all the ingredients are needed for better "cohesion" of the resulting mass and more convenient formation of balls.

How to serve falafel?

As already mentioned, falafel can also be used as an independent dish without any additives. In the dietary version, the balls are usually fried in a pan without oil until a crust appears. Falafel can be served as a side dish for a meat or fish dish, seasoned with various sauces, add ingredients to taste directly into the mass.

Sometimes falafel is made on the basis of black or white beans, in which case pre-boiled potatoes should be added to the original dough. Pita and rolls are made with falafel, it is served with pita bread or vegetables, sometimes even stuffing is added in the form of minced meat, meat, eggs or something like that. There is a great manycombinations.

Falafel rolls

Recently, rolls with falafel have become widespread. It turns out almost shawarma.

• Ready-made falafel balls are wrapped with sauce and vegetables in pita bread, forming a roll.
• Also, carrots can be added to the falafel itself.
• These rolls are especially popular among vegetarians, as they are very nutritious and satisfying, but do not contain animal products.

Falafel calories

Now that we already know how to cook this dish, it's time to touch on another important issue. What is the calorie content of falafel per 100 grams? This figure ranges from 250 to 300 kcal, depending on the ingredients and the method of heat treatment. If you do not add an egg to the mass, do not overdo it with spices and cook without oil, then the calorie content of falafel per 100 grams can be even lower than 250 kcal, which will undoubtedly please those who are losing weight. But sometimes it can increase dramatically if other products and fillings are added, a lot of oil and spices are used.

Thus, the calorie content of a roll with falafel will definitely exceed 350 kcal, because pita bread, sauce and vegetables will significantly change this figure upwards. Therefore, those who watch their figure should be more careful with rolls - it is much better to use falafel as an independent dish without additives. Calorie content and BJU of falafel are closely related. due to high protein contentand carbohydrates increases the calorie content of the dish. The amount of fat depends on the use of oil, and its amount can be minimized.

Falafel is a pretty versatile dish. It has enough calories to eat on its own, but it can also be pampered while on a diet if you follow the above rules.