Fried cauliflower

Fried cauliflower

Israeli-style fried cauliflower
Course	Mezze, street food, sandwich, side dish
Main ingredients	Cauliflower florets, cooking oil

Fried cauliflower is a popular dish in many cuisines of the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and elsewhere. It may start from raw or cooked cauliflower; it may be dipped in batter or breading; it may be fried in oil, butter, or other fats. It can be served on its own, as a mezze or side dish, or in a sandwich. It is often seasoned with salt, spices, and a variety of sauces, in the Middle East often based on tahini or strained yogurt.

Cauliflower in general, and fried cauliflower in particular, has become increasingly popular in the United States.^[1]

Fried cauliflower may start from raw or cooked cauliflower. The cauliflower is separated into florets, then deep-fried. It may be fried plain;^[2][3] it may be breaded;^[4] it may be battered; or it may be simply floured.^[5]

The plain version is the crispest, though the oiliest;^[6] the breaded and battered versions result in a moister, less crisp interior.

After draining, it may be seasoned or sauced in a variety of ways.

Deep-fried and pan-fried cauliflower is found in many cuisines, and is well documented through the 19th century in Germany,^[7] Austria,^[8] Britain,^[9] and the United States.^[10] It is often called by its French name, choufleur frit.

Fried battered cauliflower is served in French cuisine with a tomato sauce as fritot de chou-fleur.^[11][12]

A wide variety of fried cauliflower dishes are found in India.

Cauliflower pakoras, battered and spiced fried cauliflower, are popular in North India and Chennai, and may be double-fried for crispness. They can be served with a tomato or peanut chutney.^[13]

One Punjabi recipe deep-fries the cauliflower first, then sautés it in spices and yogurt to nap the florets with sauce.^[14]

Fried cauliflower is found both in Mizrahi and Sephardic traditions, which were brought to Israel when Jews immigrated to Israel, often as refugees.^[15]

Among the Mizrahi, fried cauliflower was often eaten as a mezze before large meals or in various salads (often dressed with tahini sauce, strained yogurt, or citrus juice). Over time, fried cauliflower was adopted as a street food.^[16] With the rise of fine dining in Israel, Israeli chefs have incorporated versions of the dish into their cooking, where it may be an important main dish.^[17]

In Israel, fried cauliflower is commonly served at falafel, shawarma, hummus, and sabich stands, often in a sandwich or as part of a salad bar: "Fried cauliflower is a staple of falafel-shop salad bars".^[16]

It is commonly served plain just with some salt. It may also be served with strained yogurt, tahini sauce, amba, zhug, or other condiments.^[18]

The Sephardic version, culupidia frita, is battered and often served with lemon (culupidia frita con limón),^[19] which is sometimes simmered with the cauliflower until it evaporates.^[20]

An early Italian recipe for fried cauliflower (1822) first parboils it, then breads it and fries it in oil or lard.^[21] Various versions of the dish are found in later cookbooks.^[22]

It continues to be part of the repertoire of Italian cuisine,^[23] and is sold as a street food in Sicily.^[24]

In Levantine cuisine as found in Lebanon,^[25] Syria, and Palestine fried cauliflower, zahra mekleyah (Arabic: الارنبيط المقلي, زهره مقليه), is served cold or hot.

It may be served in a sandwich of pita bread or sandwich bread, often toasted and sprinkled with cumin, salt, and lemon juice. It is also served as a side dish.^[26]

It may be battered or not.^[27]

Common accompaniments include tarator.^[28]

Variations include curried and roasted cauliflower, bell peppers, or a garlic lemon vinaigrette. The Syrian menazla zahra is cooked with garlic, ground beef, cilantro, cumin, and salt.^[27]

Fried cauliflower is also an ingredient in maqluba, a sort of pilaf with meat and vegetables on top.^[29]

Fried cauliflower from Indian, Israeli, Italian, and Levantine^[30] traditions is found in the United States.

The Israeli versions are often found at Israeli, kosher, Jewish, and falafel restaurants. The growing fashion both for cauliflower^[1] and for Israeli cuisine^[31] has contributed to its popularity.

Some variants include serving with a white wine vinaigrette, currants, and pine nuts;^[32] frying a whole head and serving with a beet tahini sauce;^[33] or serving with a herbed labneh sauce.^[34]