Jordan holds the Guinness World Record for the largest falafel ball. The record was achieved by Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa in Jordan on 31 May 2019.
The record-setting falafel weighed 101.5 kilograms, or about 224 pounds, and took approximately 45 minutes to cook. It was prepared at the Dead Sea, making the achievement both a culinary stunt and a celebration of a food deeply associated with the region.
Jordan has held earlier large-falafel records as well. In 2012, chefs at Amman's Landmark Hotel produced a 74.75-kilogram falafel using chickpeas, onions, parsley, garlic and spices. That record was later surpassed by the Hilton Dead Sea preparation.
A common mix-up is confusing the largest falafel ball with the largest serving of falafel. Guinness lists a separate 5,173-kilogram largest serving, achieved in Lebanon in 2010. That figure represented a large quantity of falafel served together, not one individual ball.