‘Falafel Nation’: How Food Helped Create Israeli Culture

Israeli expat Yael Raviv argues in her new book Falafel Nation that food has been an Israeli “marketing tool” since the initial wave of Zionist pioneers arrived more than a century ago. As Raviv illustrates with old postcards and other ephemera, members of that “First Aliyah” grew such “fruits of the land” as grapes and olives to forge “a more direct and powerful link with the land of Israel,” by literally putting down roots.

Despite its title, Falafel Nation—which explores the development of Israel’s culinary identity—is about much more than the much loved (and loathed) deep-fried chickpea balls. In fact, it might well have been titled Learning To Love Eggplant: Steeped in historical research yet eminently readable—the book is an outgrowth of Raviv’s PhD research; she now teaches Food Studies at New York University—the book outlines how Israelis became Israeli by embracing foods like the eggplant, a native food that was foreign to most early settlers.

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