Falafel Is Still The Iconic Street Food Dish in Syria

SUMMER READS • FOOD
'Falafel is still the iconic street food dish in Syria'

'A world of street food' (2/6). In Lille's Grand Scène food court, Bassam Ataya and his wife Reem
serve small falafel patties made from a traditional Syrian recipe with perfectly-sized chickpeas
from the Vendée.
By Léo Pajon
Published on July 18, 2023, at 12:00 pm (Paris) • 4 min.
Reem and Bassem Ataya in their restaurant, Lille, July 4, 2023. AUDOIN DESFORGES FOR
LE MONDE
"Another plate of falafels darling!" On the second floor of the huge Grand Scène food court in Lille,
vibrant with music and pop-colored frescoes, Reem Ataya slaloms between the quickly-packed
wooden tables located in front of the stand where her husband, Bassem Ataya, is browning his
chickpea patties. The couple seem so comfortable with this culinary exercise that they seem to have
15 years of experience in the restaurant business. But 15 years ago, Reem was teaching French at
Damascus University and the Institut français, while Bassem was working as administrative manager
of the Syrian magazine Chabablek.
In 2012, shortly after the outbreak of the war in their home country, the couple decided to flee with
their young daughter, Mirah. They settled in Egypt before arriving in Lambersart, northern France, in
2014. The mother of a former colleague took them in.
Bassem, unemployed, got busy cooking in their new place. "At home, we show our affection and love
through cooking," Reem said. Her husband had plenty of practice: The youngest of 12 brothers and
sisters, he was involved in preparing the family's food from an early age and helped his parents in the
small restaurant they ran in Damascus.
From neighbors' parties to charity events, it did not take long for his talents as a chef to make
themselves known in Lambersart. He worked as a caterer and took part in the Refugee Food Festival,
when restaurants opened their doors to refugees trained in cooking. In June 2021, the couple opened
Ataya. It is one of 10 stands in the Grand Scène, a large food court in the center of Lille, where falafels
reign over the menu.
More from the series 'Banh mi is the product of cultural mixing and colonization'
Why did you specialize in falafel?
Reem Ataya: Because it's the iconic street food dish in Syria, the one that best represents our country.
Over there, you can eat it almost anywhere, anytime. You can find it in any restaurant, but there are
also specialized ones. When we were young, one of the most famous in Damascus was Ala Kefak: the
owner caused a scandal by putting his falafels in baguette and spreading mayonnaise on the bread.
We teenagers loved it, but our parents hated it!
Where did the first falafels appear?
Bassem Ataya: That is quite a controversial subject, as everyone tries to make this dish their own, but
historians point to two possibilities. Falafel may first have appeared among the Egyptian Copts, who
still make fava bean-based patties called falafels or tamiya, depending on which region you're in.
Another version puts the origin of falafel in Palestine, where this specialty is made from chickpeas, as
in Syria. There are no sources to settle the debate. What is certain is that falafel is a snack that can be
found today in almost every corner of the Middle East, whether or not it is eaten in pita bread.
Is it still as popular in Syria?
R. A.: Yes, except the price has risen enormously since the start of the war. When we were students, it
was really the hearty, cheap food we could eat for lunch and dinner, often with ayran, a drink made
from yogurt and salt water. It's much more complicated to [get food to] eat today, because of
inflation. And it's even more complicated for meat dishes.
What's so special (and secret) about your chickpea patties?

B. A.: I make them according to a traditional recipe, the same as my mom's. I use fresh herbs – quite a
few compared to other recipes – but also ground coriander and cumin. What surprised our French
customers, who sometimes bought their falafels from caterers or supermarkets, was not so much the
right balance of spices, but the crunchiness and softness. But there's no big secret: you only need to
fry them once – reheating softens them – and serve them right away! We offer the sauce – a mixture
of yogurt and tahini, [which is] sesame paste – separately, also to avoid softening them.
Is it common for a man to cook in Syria?
R. A. : It's traditionally the women who cook, but it's not frowned upon for a man: it's even said to be
better when they take care of it! Every Friday morning, before going to prayer, it's customary for the
men to prepare breakfast and sometimes lunch, sometimes including falafel.
Read more Fancy a delicious creative vegan sandwich?
How did you adapt falafels to France?

B. A.: The falafels we serve at Ataya are traditional falafels, but we make sure to use French
ingredients. Our chickpeas, for example, come from the Vendée [in western France]. They're exactly
the right diameter, about the size of a hazelnut: smaller ones would make the falafels too dry; larger
ones would make the falafels absorb too much water. For a while, we also offered "falafaluches," by
putting falafels into faluche, a soft, dense bread typical of the North: it was a way for us to thank the
region for welcoming us. But this bread was difficult to preserve and very filling: today, we only serve
pita bread.
Do you never get tired of making falafels?
B. A.: One evening, paired with Chef Simon [Bertrand Simon, cooking teacher and creator of the very
popular website Chefsimon.com], we prepared over 900 falafels! I love making them in huge
quantities. And it's also satisfying to see that a very diverse clientele comes to us. Falafel is a dish that
allows you to fill up on a budget: our galette, sold with seasonal crudités and pickles, costs just €9. It's
also a vegan dish – gluten-free if you stick to the original recipe and don't cut wheat flour into the
dough. There's something magical about seeing a thousand-year-old dish stay trendy!
¶ Ataya, in the Grand Scène food court, 31, rue de Béthune, Lille.
'A world of street food'

In this series, six chefs reveal how they have adapted a common
foreign dish to French tastes and ingredients.
1. 'Ban mi is the product of cultural mixing and colonization'
2. 'Falafel is still trendy. It's vegan and gluten-free!'
3. 'The main ingredient of a good onigiri is love'
4. 'In Kinshasa, pondu keeps you going until evening'
5. 'Ceviche in Peru is everywhere, all the time'
6. 'Pastrami is a product of Ashkenazi culture'
Léo Pajon
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for
the French version.

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SUMMER READS • FOOD

'Falafel is still the iconic street food dish in Syria'

Why did you specialize in falafel?

Where did the first falafels appear?

Is it still as popular in Syria?

What's so special (and secret) about your chickpea patties?

Is it common for a man to cook in Syria?

Read more Fancy a delicious creative vegan sandwich?

How did you adapt falafels to France?

Do you never get tired of making falafels?

'A world of street food'

1. 'Ban mi is the product of cultural mixing and colonization'

2. 'Falafel is still trendy. It's vegan and gluten-free!'

3. 'The main ingredient of a good onigiri is love'

4. 'In Kinshasa, pondu keeps you going until evening'

5. 'Ceviche in Peru is everywhere, all the time'

6. 'Pastrami is a product of Ashkenazi culture'

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