Today (6/18), millions of Google users awoke to a celebration of our beloved falafel on the Google homepage.

According to Google’s statement on today’s “Google Doodle”:

Today’s Doodle celebrates falafel, the best thing that ever happened to chickpeas—with the possible exception of hummus, of course.

Although the exact origins of this spicy street food have been lost to the mists of time, falafel has been enjoyed for centuries in many different cultures. India produces the vast majority of the world’s chickpea crop, which currently is in high season. In Egypt, fava beans are ground to make these delicious, crispy balls of fried plant protein, known in Egypt as “ta’amiya.” Israel has a song [link added] to celebrate its love affair with the tried-and-true treat, entitled And We Have Falafel.

Over time, more eclectic toppings has been introduced all over the world, ranging from German sauerkraut, to Iraqi fried eggplant, to Indian mango sauce, to Yemeni hot sauce. Even newer variations such as the red falafel—made with jalapeños roasted peppers, tomatoes, and spicy yogurt—or the orange falafel—made with sweet potatoes, cabbage, honey, and ginger tahini—preserve the basic formula of ground legumes, seasoned and fried in oil. The world’s largest falafel, weighing 74.8 kilograms (164.8 pounds) and reaching 152 centimeters (59.8 inches) in height, was fried for 25 minutes at the Landmark Hotel in Amman, Jordan.

Happy chickpea season!

https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-falafel

We love falafel!

Of course, this comes as no surprise to anyone who’s ever spent time in Israel. For most of us, falafel is one of the first things we consume after landing in the Holy Land, filled with hummus, french fries (aka “chips”), Israeli salad, and a plethora of other toppings.

And as Google correctly noted there is even a “Falafel Song”! The Ayalon Quartet’s “Shir Hafalafel” is creative, humorous, and very singable (here are lyrics in Hebrew and English). Have you ever heard it sung in a falafel joint?

Of course, we all know falafel as the official food of the state of Israel. But not all would agree. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency wrote about the controversy today, reporting on Google’s “doodle”.

Here are a few versions of “The Falafel Song”:

The original:

A version for kids, with Dafna Dekel:

So in honor of the occasion, let’s all enjoy a delicious falafel! Where’s your favorite place to grab a falafel?