Cairo -

Sectors of Egyptians do not forget a remarkable cinematic scene in the 1970 film "The Land", directed by Youssef Chahine, in which the farmer Diab (actor Ali Al-Sharif) appeared looking at the "ta'miya" and envied the people of Bandar for that bliss.

It is the falafel that the Egyptians also call "ta'ameya" because it is commonly eaten in food and various meals and its price is cheap.

But recently, with the exacerbation of the economic crisis and the high price of beans, the main ingredient of taameya, some restaurants have resorted to reconsidering the ingredients to reduce the cost, which surprised many.

The authorities arrested a restaurant owner in the Qanater area in Qalyubia, in the north, after he used alfalfa to prepare taameya, not parsley and leeks, as is known.

Ali Eid - an employee - says that he cannot give up falafel with its traditional taste, as it is "the cheapest thing."

"The falafel sandwich exceeded 7 pounds," he added.

In the same context, Hasan (Y) - a tuktuk driver - says, "There is (there is) no one else."

Walaa Amer, a university student, describes real falafel as the food of the wealthy, and calls on the government to expand the cultivation of beans, saying, "It is the basic food of Egyptians."

And she added, "One falafel is worth a pound, and it is eaten in one bite."

Egypt imports about 75% of its needs of beans, and data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics show that Egyptian imports of broad beans are close to half a billion dollars annually, an increase of about 11 million and 814 thousand dollars over last year.

Foul and falafel are the daily breakfast for Egyptians of all economic and social levels (Associated Press)

Component manipulation

As for "Abu Ahmed" - the owner of a restaurant - he strongly refuses to talk about tampering with the ingredients of falafel, but he does not deny that those he called "unscrupulous" resorted to reducing the beans used in favor of vegetables because of their cheap prices.

He speaks sadly of the high prices of beans and transportation costs, as well as oil, electricity bills and taxes.

Akram (S), the owner of a restaurant in the ambulance district in central Cairo, does not deny the use of "second-class" oils, as he described it, due to the high price of high-quality oils.

Abu Ahlam, the owner of a Syrian restaurant in the October district of Giza, responds by saying that he uses high-quality products, but he has a problem in supplying chickpeas used instead of beans, and he complains about the high cost, which forces him to increase the price and the consequent decline in sales.

With a remarkable degree of sorrow mixed with sarcasm, the people of the "Al-Galatamah" area in the Qalyubia governorate talk about a restaurant resorting to using alfalfa instead of the well-known vegetables "dill, coriander, parsley and leeks."

SL says alfalfa is cheaper, but in any case the police did their duty and arrested the owner of the restaurant, who was later released.

Jamil Al-Sayed objects to the government's weak measures to control restaurants, and challenges the issue of places that violate the trial, saying that "some regulatory authorities are already suffering from corruption," according to his description.

Beans are the main component of Egyptian falafel, and its high price led to a crisis in one of the most important meals of Egyptians (Al-Jazeera)

Manipulation risks

The matter did not stop at a change in taste, but extends to the possibility of increasing the levels of harmful fats in the body, according to Hazem Salah, a gastroenterologist in Kasr al-Ainy.

Hazem Salah explains that the danger lies in the transformation of falafel into a strange mass of vegetables with boiling oil at high temperatures, producing a mixture that causes confusion to the digestive system, especially the stomach, and the matter may initially cause symptoms of burning, reflux of esophageal juices, and bitterness in the throat.

The Egyptian doctor also advises the need to rationalize dealing with falafel, as it is sufficient to have it for breakfast one to 3 times a week, with the need not to overdo it.

This comes while the Ministry of Supply does not stop publishing data of the expanded campaigns to confront fraud, as it issued 1,684 reports of violations of restaurants and food supplies in just two weeks, according to a statement on the ministry's Facebook page.

On the other hand, Hussein Abdel Hamid - an accountant in a bank - does not see any benefit from these campaigns, and says that everything returns to the way it was after the mission of the censors ends.

He also sees no objection to changing the eating habits of Egyptians in line with the circumstances, saying that the whole world is going through similar circumstances.

Abdel Hamid points out that the British are changing their eating habits due to the crisis, and jokingly notes that the Germans have changed their showering habits due to the water scarcity crisis.

Calls to rationalize eating falafel and preparing it at home and changing its ingredients in order to save expenses (Shutterstock)

Changing eating habits

Najwa (T), a professor of social psychology at Mansoura University, believes that the time has come for Egyptians to change their diet, explaining that the matter has entered the stage of necessity.

And she adds, "Egyptians must adapt to the difficult reality," as they have done so throughout a long history of crises.

The Egyptian Academy believes that the problem lies in relying on the "wheat loaf of bread", which requires - as it says - fava beans and falafel, pointing to the need to return to the old loaf, which contained part of corn flour and brown and white wheat flour.

And she stressed that there is no need to deal with beans and falafel in the current traditional ways, as she put it, pointing to studies warning that each falafel tablet contains about 60 calories and 5 grams of fat, and advises people who suffer from heart problems, cholesterol or triglycerides to stay away. About eating falafel.

In conjunction with the increasing import crisis and the difficulty of releasing goods stacked in ports, including beans due to the scarcity of the dollar, the Egyptian Medicines Authority gave several advice not to eat foods prepared from beans such as falafel, noting that "in general, caution is preferred when eating all kinds of legumes."

In this context, Sahar Abdel Rahim calls for the production of falafel at home, proposing additions of "starch and flour" to reduce the absorption of oil, reduce its cost and ensure its suitability for consumption, instead of relying on restaurants.

Nutrition expert Naglaa El-Shershaby also publishes several ways to prepare falafel at home, adopting the idea of ​​changing the ingredients to adapt to the current conditions, through leftover bread.

On her Facebook page, El-Shershaby recommends using an "air fryer" that does not depend on oils primarily to prepare falafel.

One of the housewives comments on this, saying, "Falafel will soon be removed from the throne of popular food, and Egyptians must adapt to that."