Sousan Hammad at Al Jazeera convers a film about falafel in Israel that raises boycott issues. Here’s the falafel info:
It is the 1960s and a systematic effort to create a collective ‘Israeli’ identity is at its peak. Falafel is nationalised into Israeli culture and used as a symbol of ‘Israeliness’ as part of its nation-building campaign. Popular songs claiming falafel as an exclusive Israeli provenance, like And We Have Falafel, are composed, while falafel restaurants – reconstructed in Arab street-vendor fashion – are mapped across the state.
Fifty-one years later, Israel’s branding of falafel persists, both locally and internationally, from popular postcards labelling falafel “Israel’s national snack” to McDonald’s recently ‘Israelised’ menu that includes a kosher McFalafel sandwich.
