Falafel Wrap (VG)

Falafel's precise origin is contested, but most food historians trace it to Egypt, where a version called ta'amiya has been made from fava beans for many centuries, possibly dating to the Coptic Christian period when meat was forbidden on many days of the religious calendar. The chickpea version — now the most common globally — spread northward through the Levant with Arab traders and travellers. By the 19th century, falafel was established street food across Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.

The technique is deceptively simple: dried chickpeas (never canned — the texture is wrong) soaked overnight, then ground with parsley, coriander, garlic and cumin into a coarse paste. The moisture content is critical; too wet and the falafel falls apart in the oil, too dry and they are dense and crumbly. A small amount of bicarbonate of soda creates a light, airy interior beneath the crisp exterior. Frying in hot oil at the right temperature creates the characteristic green interior — the chlorophyll from the fresh herbs, preserved by the rapid heat.

Wrapped with mixed leaves, tomato and pickled cucumber, our Falafel Wrap is a complete plant-based meal — the chickpeas providing protein and complex carbohydrate, the herbs adding vitamins, the pickled cucumber offering the sharpness that cuts through richness.