Falafel Sandwich

Falafel doesn’t need to be a sandwich. A small, deep-fried sphere of ground-up chickpeas (and sometimes fava beans as well as garlic, onions, pepper, and other spices), it is self-contained, ideally a contrast of crunchy crust and creamy middle. Good falafel is thick and somewhat monomaniacal, so it does make sense to supplement it with lettuce, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, or other refreshing vegetables, and to stuff them all into a pita pocket or wrap them in flatbread. Many a vegetarian’s favorite meat alternative, falafel is common street food through much of the Middle East.