Israeli chef rolls into the record books with largest falafel ball
Weighing in at 10.9 kilograms and with a circumference of more than a meter, the falafel ball is expected to enter the Guinness Book Records.
Tags: Israel news
The Israeli chef of the New York restaurant Olympic Pita used thousands of chickpeas, 40 liters of oil and a variety of spices to create the world's largest falafel ball on Friday.
Weighing in at 10.9 kilograms and with a circumference of more than a meter, the falafel ball is expected to enter the Guinness Book of World Records in the coming days.
Israel's latest record bid comes amid an ongoing 'war' with neighboring Lebanon over another chickpea product - hummus. On May 12 Lebanese chefs smashed Israel's record with a four-ton serving of the favorite Middle Eastern dip.
"The record set today is nothing compared to the goal we have set for ourselves for next year – the world's largest gefilte fish," said Israeli Consul General Asaf Shariv, who added that the record also kicked off a week's worth of Israel-related events in New York, including the annual Israeli day parade on Fifth Avenue.
The week, dubbed Israel week, was initiated by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York in cooperation with the New York municipality.
The parade, scheduled for Sunday, was expected to draw thousands of Israel supporters in New York. Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the NBA, was set to lead the procession alongside Israeli consulate staff.
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Record-breaking falafel ball, New York, May 21, 2010 |
| Photo by: Israeli Consulate, New York |
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Let's see, I'm guessing it would have to be Jonah and the Whale for the world's biggest ever gefilte Fisch.
abu shhab ancesstors were jewish, as they left spain and then came baq to settle in damascus, and the fateh that my mom makes , took it from an israeli recipie,
There is no patent fee for food varieties: us hamburger, french fries, lebanese taboula, italian spagetti and pizza, chinese noddle, bukari rice, etc. Peoples know the origin and everyone has his or her preference. Israel, after conquering the land and controlling the people , tries also to steal the culture, landmark, food etc. of the Palestinian people. Luckily, the Palestinian people is thriving even subjected to an unprecedented discremination and colonialism in history of mankind. No doute, Jewish individuals or groups had recognizable great contributions to humanity. People think of Jews as smart , gerat minds and achievers. Whereever they are, they thrive as individuals and as a comunity. Something or someones have to bring the Israeli arrogance to size so that they realize that the future is not in their side. All the victories they easily got are due to Arab unpreparedeness and dictatorships. Arab and Muslim nations were one and would become so again. Palestine is a sacred land for us, Nobody is entitled to relinquish any part of it, Abbas or anyone else.
I am an Immigrant and personally do not like Israeli food . . No respectable Restaurant serves felafel, it is street food or found in speciall little corners specfically for Mideastern snacks.. Felafel in London to me is far tastier than in israel, sorry.
such a sharp direction.
I started getting hungry reading all these arguments about falafel and ingredients. I was about to get dressed and go to my favorite falafel joint but realized it's shabat and theyre closed...
hey, instead of coming to new york and driving a taxi cab or owning a deli, why dont you try opening up a "real falafil" joint and show us what you mean. talk is cheap..
Both israeli and arab food is delicious!!!
I have often made the expirience that smaller fruits and vegetables often have a more pronounced taste also. What is a quantity record worth for when no one eats it, because the quality is missing?
Now we know what the Middle East Crisis is all about! It's the Israelis who have the biggest (falafel) balls!
in couple of places in paris. it is a poor imitation of the egyptian ta3mia, falafel is best in lebanon and syria.
Falafel is an Arab dish and they are the best at it. To the Israelis, gefilte fish is the trditional Jewish dish from Europe, so stick to it.
Why not prove falafel ownership that other way? You know, using the argument that the bible mentions Jerusalem 700 times? How many times does the bible mention falafel? Or if that doesn't work, just say the people conquered a falafel store 3000 years ago and thus took over ownership of falafel eternally and undividedly.
if you want to boil things down like a southpark episode we could have another scene where the arabs just start riots and burning cars every time they need to make an argument. Or conquer something that's been around milenia and make it muslim. like knocking down a church or synagogue and building a mosque on top
The first Jewish Immigrants who came to Palestine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were from Russia, Poland, Hungary and Reumania and were the ones who fought in the 1948 War of Israel's Independence.Those from Arab countries came much later in the 1960s.....
As good as they are in Jerusalem, they will remain an arabic dish.
Who invented matters little what matters is that Israel make falafels (like everything else) the best. Arab falafels are often greasy with cheap ingredients but perhaps they like it this way so I cannot judge.
When I lived in Sydney, Australia the falafel in the Israeli falfel joints in Bondi were far tastier, lighter and healthier then the Lebanese variety which they made with fat and additives
Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo, Amman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah. I promise You - and Ask my friends on the Trips - A Unanimous Decisioon: Great Falafel is Lebanese Made!
make lousy falafel, and I am from the middle east
Stop pretending that you belong to this part of the world. You don't even know how to spell the word. Falafill is not an Israel food it is an Arab food and you have nothing to do with it as you have nothing to do with the land you are living on. You don't have the ethics or the courage to pubblish this comment.
Hi Joe: I wanted to let you know that I, like the Majority of Israelis here in Israel are children of parents from Arab countries. Arab countries meaning countries that were invaded by Muslim Arabs long after my family had been settled in them. My family has been here in Palestine and Syria longer than many Arab Muslim Palestinians that I know so I have greast pride for my Eastern Jewish culture and cuisine. Furthermore, had I been a European Diaspora Jew, I would be just as proud of my heritage as I am just as much a rightful owner to this land, just as Armenians and Kurds living outside the Middle East are to theirs.
and the stroy goes on,,
Israel is a nation of squatters. You can First talk about the millions of Diaspora Palestinians and then perhaps mention the Arab Jews.
Joe, make up your mind. Either we Jews have nothing to do with the land we're living on, but rather we have something to do with the lands we were living in before this state was founded (other than israel).. and that therefore not the Nazis, and not you arabs had a right to kick us out (since we have no seperate identity), or we do have a separate identity and it is connected with this land.. Why do you have to be so unrational and two-faced?!? The intent is obvious.
Didn't take a long time for your type to show up on a news page like this. Just hilarious how forcefully you try to connect everything to occupation and a bit of cultural theft. Fact is humus and the Falafel are both considered national food both in Israel and abroad. It's not only served in most restaurants and part of the Israeli cuisine, it also tastes better and healthier than the common arab versions. We don't turn it into a big deal, we just eat it cause it's good, but for some reason the neighbur shows teeth like he owns what we made. Wether it's origin is from a different country is IRRELAVENT. Many jews were banished or chose to leave the Arab states, and we just made it better. It's you who seem to turn it into some fued like we're not allowed to eat it.
What matter is who makes it the best and the tastiest way. All kinds of different foods and recipes have already spread and traveled the world. I hear a lot of people saying the arabic falafel is very greasy and doesn't taste very well. In my experience Israeli falafel tastes amazing. So I prefer eating that, than the greasy, not as good tasting arabic falafel.
My family has been here in Palestine and Syria longer than many Arab Muslim Palestinians that I know "- Maryuma you said palestine! so you are palestinian, and an arab jew maryuma, arabs are not just muslims, arabs excisted before islam.
Not so correct to say that the majority of Israelis come from Arab countries today. With the influx of Russians in the past twenty years, and aliyah from America, the UK and other European countries recently, the scene has changed rather considerably of late . The first Jewish families to settle in 'Palestine' in the late 19th and early centuries came from Russia, Poland Hungary and Reumania and were among those who fought during the Independence War in 1948 . It was only in the early sixties that Jews from Arab countries came flooding in to Israel. Today it is a mixture of Jewish people from all over the world who have returned Home, and to learn to eat felafel.........
this comment sheds light on two things: the arab education system and the arab insecurity
Ben Israel was one of the Arab tribes :)
Firstly, there were no people such as 'Palestinians' unless we go back in History and speak about the Philistines, and the Roman Occupation when the Province of Judah was renamed Palestine by the Romans. These today known as Palestinians are the refugees created during the defeat of the Arabs during the 1948 War of Independence, Hundreds and thousands of them were living under the British Mandate of Palestine and fled after the Defeat of the Arabs during the 1948 Arab/Israeli war, some far across the World, others fled from their homes and gardens in British Palestine together with Arab labourers who owned nothing but the wages they earned, and yet others from different clans of Arabs who joined the group. . Together they adopted the name of being 'Palestinians' in order to claim land in the region of Palestine for themselves. All wars that had been fought were between Israel and the Arabs, never Palestinians, until the last one 'Cast Lead' when Arabs already adopted the name of being 'Palestinians'. This is the Truth behind 'the Palestinians' of today who are but Arabs.
Personally I far prefer some Danish Pastry. It is well made in Israel and with a cup of coffee, it is 'yummy;.