October 8, 2008, - 1:37 pm
Letter to the Editor of the Day: Muslims, Arabs Didn’t Invent Falafel or Hummus
By Debbie Schlussel
One bone of contention I’ve repeatedly noted on this site is the false claim by Arabs that falafel, hummus, and other Middle-Eastern food is “Arabic” food. That’s despite the fact that, for example, hummus–the dip made from chickpeas, sesame butter (tahini or “techina” in Hebrew), olive oil, lemon, garlic, etc.–originated in what is now Israel and was invented by Jews.
In fact, Jews have been eating these dishes for centuries, longer than there has been an Islam or an Arabian empire, as I’ve pointed out. These foods are an intrinsic part of Sephardic [“Spanish”/Orientalist/Asian] Jewish culture and history. But Arabs–particularly Muslims, since Christians tend to disavow any association with being Arabic–need some invention to claim other than innovations in explosive devices and torture methods.
And while they never tire of blowing up falafel joints with Jews inside of them, they occasionally take a break from that and use falafel and other Mid-East cuisine for propaganda.
Yes, now, those who hate Jews and Israel have resorted even to lying about Mid-Eastern food for their attacks and fraudulent public relations. Ignorant authoress Chris Fair does so in her book “Cuisines of the Axis of Evil,” and Abheek Bhattacharya did so in his review of the book in the Wall Street Journal. (With a name like Abheek Bhattacharya, I’m sure he has no agenda whatsoever.)
But Joshua Cappell of New York didn’t let them slip it past his very sharp, observant eyes. From yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, his letter to the editor is spot on and deserves further exposure.
Sephardic Jews Brought the Falafel
October 7, 2008; Page A26
In his review of Chris Fair’s “Cuisines of the Axis of Evil,” (Oct. 3), Abheek Bhattacharya says “Ms. Fair does a good job explaining how Israel’s possession of Palestinian land has made falafel, hummus and baba ganouj staples in Tel Aviv.”
Actually, the prevalence of these foods in Israel has a different basis, which tells a quite different story. These were popularized by the Sephardim, the roughly one-half of Israel’s population that was accepted as refugees to the state after they were forcibly evicted, for no reason other than that they were Jews, without compensation, from their homes and communities in the Arab states of the Mideast in which they had lived for hundred of years. Tel Aviv, which is well within Israel’s internationally recognized borders, was built by Jews on land purchased and owned by Jews.
Why is it acceptable to assume that all property in the possession of Jews must necessarily have been stolen rather than purchased? Would journalistic standards allow accepting uncritically a claim regarding any other ethnic group that they may be safely assumed to all be thieves?
Joshua Cappell
New York
Amen. Mazel Tov [Congrats!] on your excellent letter, Joshua.
Why does the Wall Street Journal allow this kind of crap to creep into cookbook reviews?
Might have something to do with one of its new owners. Or the son of another.
Ok; I’m hungry now…
bhparkman on October 8, 2008 at 8:41 pm