My Father's Falafel: Yemeni Jews and (Cultural) Appropriation

This essay uses the idea of Yemeni-Israeli falafel to highlight the in-between place of Middle Eastern Jews in Palestine and Israel and to challenge ideas of authenticity and cultural appropriation. Although falafel is often thought of as a "traditional" Levantine dish, it is unclear where or when it originated. It is likely an adaptation of Indian fried vegetable fritters, brought to the Middle East in the late nineteenth century by British colonial forces. If this is right, Yemeni Jews encountered falafel as it entered the region and cannot be said to have appropriated the dish. Moreover, Yemeni Jews began selling falafel as a nondominant group in Palestine as part of an immigrant strategy of survival. Finally, this essay argues that the use of the term "cultural appropriation" in this case is misleading because it analogizes the organic transformation of immigrant foodways with military conquest and the appropriation of land. This is both intellectually unproductive and exacerbates conflict.