Which recent Jewish migrants were hesitant to adopt falafel as it spread?

Many recent Ashkenazi Jewish migrants were hesitant to adopt falafel as it spread through Mandatory Palestine. Ashkenazi Jews largely came from Central and Eastern Europe, where falafel was not part of their established food traditions.

Falafel had Egyptian origins and spread into the Levant, where chickpea-based versions became especially familiar. Jewish residents and immigrants in Palestine encountered it as a local Arab food rather than as a specifically Jewish dish. That helps explain why adoption was gradual rather than automatic.

The hesitation does not mean Ashkenazi Jews rejected the dish permanently. Falafel later became a major street food in Israel, especially in pita with salad, tahini, and pickles. A commonly missed detail is that the pita sandwich was popularized in Israel after independence, with Yemeni Jewish refugees often credited with helping establish that format in the 1950s.