Sahyoun’s sandwiches are made with six ingredients: Falafel, parsley, radish, tomato and a garlic tahini sauce called taratoor, all wrapped in thin pita bread.

The original Sahyoun’s falafel, right, is now run by Zouhair Sahyoun, behind the register. He no longer speaks to his brother Fouad, who runs the red Falafel M. Sahyoun on the left.

Fouad and Zouhair inherited the family falafel business from their father, the first Mustapha Sahyoun, who opened one of Lebanon’s first falafel shops in a backstreet of Beirut’s downtown in 1933. A few years later, as Beirut expanded, he set up a larger storefront on Damascus Street. Over the next twenty years, falafel became more than just a business—Mustapha senior’s secret recipe was passed down to Fouad and Zouhair, two of his six sons, who still follow every step of his original process.

Falafel is a common food around the Middle East and Mediterranean. It is said to have originated in Egypt, prepared by Coptic Christians as a substitute for meat during Lent. But as anyone in Beirut will say, the Lebanese feel they have perfected the dish, and Sahyoun’s recipe is widely regarded as the best, by locals and critics alike (Anthony Bourdain visited both brothers’ shops in 2010 for his show No Reservations).

Falafel Mustapha Sahyoun worked smoothly for twelve years until 2006, another violent year for the country. Though the Israeli invasion did not affect their business the same way the civil war did, the year closed with an insurmountable rift between the two brothers, who clashed over their ideas for the business’ future. Fouad left, taking the storefront directly next to the original shop, setting up a competing restaurant with a red neon sign and the same menu, logo, and recipe.

Now, with no communication between the two brothers, customers are forced to choose between the two shops, even though the product is, by most accounts, the same. Fouad’s shop offers the option of a spicy chili sauce, while Zouhair’s original blue-signed falafel shop only uses tahini-based taratoor. They each have regular customers—few guests seem confused by the near-identical shops, instead heading immediately to where their loyalties lie.

The brothers sit behind their cash registers just meters away, greeting their regular customers and watching newcomers carefully to see which shop they enter.

Author: Mohamad Yaghi (roadsandkingdoms com)


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