Falafel (Israeli hot dog)

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    A few "felafel" notes before I lose them.  OED has 1951 (etymology?), but
I'll work on that.
    From ISRAELI COOKERY (1962) by Lilian Cornfeld, pg. 115:

    _Falafel._  This dish is of Middle Eastern and Yemenite origin.
Egyptians make it with dried phul (dried broad beans).  Syrians and Israelis
make it with hamtza or chick-peas.  During the war, when the latter were
scarce and expensive, falafel was made of dried white beans but this is not
considered good.
(Photo of a product called "FALLAFEL" is on the page--ed.)

    GOURMET, January 1966, pg. 61, col. 3:

Q:  Would you possibly have a recipe for _filahfel_, the Israeli and Egyptian
chich-pea mixture?
SUSAN LEVY
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
A:  _Filahfel_ becomes _falafel_, but we trust that the dish remains the
same.  (Recipe for "Falafel (Chick-Pea Croquettes)" follows--ed.)

    GOURMET,  March 1966, pg. 5, col. 1:

    _"Hot Dog" from Israel_
    SIRS:  Having enjoyed your delightful magazine for several years and
having always marveled at the authenticity of your recipes, I couldn't let
you think that your recipe for _falafel_ (January, 1966) is really doing this
succulent dish justice!  Since my husband is an Israeli sabra and has made
this dish (known in Israel as the "Israeli hot dog," though it is definitely
of Arabic origin) many, many times, I would like to share our complete recipe
with you.
     _Falafel_ is sold in the sidewalk cafes and on street corners in Israel.
 It is served in the following fashion: A _pita_ is cut in half into a
semicircle and a pocket is made in the bread.  A heaping tablespoon of salad
is put into it, covered with one or two teaspoons of _tahini_.  On top of the
salad are placed four or five _falafel_, depending on the size of the _pita_.
 This is topped with more salad and liberal spoonfuls of _tahini_.  Happy
munching!  (Recipe for _Falafel Rand (Chick-Pea Croquettes Rand)_
follows--ed.)

    GOURMET, June 1968, "Israel: A Land in Bloom," pg. 10, col. 2:

     We loved the national sidewalk dish, _falafel_, which means to an
Israeli what a hot dog does to us.  It is a croquette of mashed chick-peas
and cracked wheat, highly spiced with coriander, chili pepper and pounded
garlic, and deep-fried in oil until brown.  The little balls are served
smoking hot in the slit of a warm _pita_ (the flat bread of the Middle East)
with a bit of Oriental salad and a slather of _hommos_ and _tahineh_.  (More
about them later.)
     The Israelis, who are very casual about army rank, refer to the
field-grade insignia as _falafel_, the cheapest food around.  Three _falafel_
make a colonel.

     I was going to visit Yemen, but tours were canceled a few years ago
after tourists were killed.  Tours have resumed, but I'll wait a while.  I
don't need "falafel" that badly.