Family Meal Plan: Egyptian Falafels on a Stick + Cool-As-A-Cucumber Tahini Sauce + Minty Cucumber Cooler

Egyptian Farm-tastic Falafel on a Stick + Cool-as-a-Cucumber Tahini Sauce

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• grate :

  to reduce food, like a carrot, to very small shreds or pieces of the same size by rubbing it on a tool with an outside surface that has holes with cutting edges (a grater).

• knife skills :

  Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls). 

• mash :

  to reduce food, like potatoes or bananas, to a soft, pulpy state by beating or pressure.

• mince :

  to chop into teeny tiny pieces.

• peel :

  to remove the skin or rind from something using your hands or a metal tool.

History of Falafel!

• In Egypt, where they originated, fritter-like falafel balls or patties are made with fava beans. When falafel made their way to the Eastern Mediterranean, Levant region, people began making them using chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Falafel may have arrived in Israel from Yemen and became popular in Israel in the 1950s. Before the 1970s, falafel was found mainly in Middle Eastern or Jewish neighborhoods in North America, eventually becoming more widespread.
• Falafel are often topped with tahini sauce. Tahini consists of ground sesame seeds, and you can make a sauce from it by adding lemon juice, salt, and some water to thin it. Falafel may be eaten alone or wrapped in a pita or flatbread. Falafel can also refer to the wrapped falafel sandwich itself. In addition to the falafel balls and tahini sauce, a wrap may include cucumber, tomato, onion, other fresh or pickled veggies, herbs, greens, and hummus.

Let's Learn About Egypt

Ancient Egypt

• Ancient Egypt dates back to around 3150 BCE.
• Both Egyptian men and women wore makeup. If their eye paint was green, it was made from copper, and if it was black, it was made from lead. Egyptians thought makeup could magically provide healing! 
• Egyptians believed in preparing for the afterlife, and by preserving the dead person's body through mummification, their soul would live forever. If you were to unwrap a mummy's bandages in a straight line, they would be as long as a mile! 
• More than 700 hieroglyphs made up the Egyptian alphabet! 
• Ancient Egyptians had over 2,000 gods! Each deity had different responsibilities and required worship so that life could be kept in balance. 
• Cats were sacred, and Egyptians believed having a cat in their household would bring good luck!  
• Love playing board games with your pals? So did the Ancient Egyptians! One popular game, 'Senet,' was played in Egypt for over 2,000 years! To play, they would throw sticks, like we throw dice, to move their game piece on the board.
• The Ancient Egyptians invented many things we still use today, such as paper, pens, locks with keys, and, believe it or not, toothpaste! 

Modern Egypt

• The country of Egypt is officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt. Arabic is the official language, but additional languages, such as English and French, are also understood by many.
• The population of Egypt is over 102.6 million, and its total area is 390,121 square miles.
• Cairo is the capital city and also has the largest population. Other major cities include Alexandria and Giza.
• On the borders of Egypt are the Gaza Strip, Israel, Libya, Sudan, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea.
• The Sinai Peninsula in Egypt spans both the African and Asian continents.
• Egypt is an arid country. The Sahara and the Libyan Desert make up most of Egypt's area.
• Egypt experiences many types of natural hazards, including droughts, earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, windstorms, dust storms, and sandstorms.
• Egypt's Nile River is the longest in Africa and possibly the world, although the Amazon may be slightly longer.
• The Great Pyramid of Giza, built in the 26th century BCE, is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is still in reasonably good shape, considering it is about 4,600 years old!
• Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Egypt. Other popular sports include tennis and squash (like racquetball).
• Egyptians primarily eat legumes and vegetables, although those who live on the coast may include seafood in their diet. When people eat meat, they often grill lamb and beef and boil chicken, duck, and squab (young pigeon) to add to soups and stews. Bread and cheese are staple foods, and pita bread is a common local favorite. Baklava and basbousa are two favorite syrup-soaked desserts. Baklava is a layered phyllo dough and nut pastry, and basbousa is a semolina cake.

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Egypt?

• School is free for kids from 6 to 15 years old. In addition to subjects like reading and writing, kids may also have a religious education, with Muslim and Christian students learning separately. 
• Kids may participate in soccer, tennis, squash (like handball), and wrestling.  
• The Sham Ennessim (or Sham al-Nassim) festival is a national holiday that celebrates the beginning of Spring and is held on Easter Monday. Families spend the whole day outside picnicking and visiting public gardens, zoos, and other places.
• Kids may eat a popular food for breakfast or dinner called "ful medames," a stew with fava beans, also considered a national dish. "Koshari," another national dish, is a main course made with pasta, rice, lentils, and a spicy tomato sauce, topped with fried onions. For snacks, kids may eat almonds, pistachios, grapes, raisins, dates, cucumbers, pita, and cheese. Sweet treats include "Oumm Ali" (mother of Ali), a national dessert of Egypt similar to a rice pudding, consisting of bread or pastry (often phyllo) mixed with coconut, cinnamon, pistachios, and raisins with milk poured over and baked.