Citations:falafel

a sandwich- or wrap-like dish of falafel in a pita

 * 1997, Jule McBride, Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?, Harlequin Books (ISBN 9780373440238):
 * &quot;It&#39;s a sandwich,&quot; Max finally said to Jeffie. &quot;You know, a Trojan. It&#39;s like a hoagie. Or a falafel or a club.&quot; Lo clucked. &quot;A sandwich?&quot; she echoed under her breath as she waved at Colleen. Colleen waved back.
 * 2004, Mike Riccetti, Houston Dining on the Cheap: A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in Houston (ISBN 9780971404014):
 * The hot sandwiches, wrapped in pita bread, are a falafel, beef shawarma, and kabobs of flame-broiled beef, chicken and a ground beef mixture (kafta kabob). Cafe Lili&#39;s version of the falafel sandwich begins with a deep-fried blend of ground ...
 * 2012, Sherri Wood Emmons, The Sometimes Daughter: A Novel, Kensington Publishing Corp. (ISBN 9780758278104):
 * “Let&#39;s get something to eat,” Daddy said, scanning the boardwalk. “Do you want to try a falafel? It&#39;s a Greek sandwich.” I remembered the sandwich Treva had eaten in Broad Ripple. It had smelled really good. “Okay.” We bought sandwiches ...

sense is not unambiguous (countable)

 * 1999, Claudia Lehan, Get Lost!: The Cool Guide to San Francisco, Get Lost Pub (ISBN 9789080256187), page 32, in a list of restaurants that have burrito-like dishes:
 * Try a falafel with roasted eggplant and potatoes.
 * 2004, New York, page 37:
 * ... reconnaissance of the subway, shows him standing in the rain after emerging from the station, eating a falafel with the filling oozing out the sides and onto his hands.)
 * 2009, Judith Lederman, Joining the Thin Club: Tips for Toning Your Mind after You've Trimmed Your Body, Harmony (ISBN 9780307496300), page 221:
 * If I wanted to sample the local fare, I treated myself to a falafel (sans the pita) at lunch, with plenty of deliciously fresh organic Israeli salad. The local produce was intoxicating and low in calories. Instead of wasting all that time loading up my ...
 * 2010, David Philipps, Lethal Warriors: When the New Band of Brothers Came Home, Macmillan (ISBN 9780230104402), page 140:
 * About fifty meters away stood a falafel store that had just had its windows shot out. “Who wants a pita?” he asked the guys in his truck with a wry grin. “You can&#39;t be serious,” his sergeant said. Bullets were literally whizzing past.

"falafel" as a plural

 * 1992, Bill St. John, Bill St. John's Rocky Mountain restaurants: 130 restaurant reviews from the Rocky Mountain News (ISBN 9780914807117):
 * &quot;The falafel are from scratch.&quot;
 * 1996, Judy Jackson, The Jewish Cookbook: 70 Recipes Celebrating an Historic Cuisine, Smithmark Publishers (ISBN 9780765199164):
 * Fry in hot oil for a couple of minutes or until the falafel are golden. Drain and serve with pita bread and hummus.
 * 2001, Joan Nathan, The Foods of Israel Today (Alfred a Knopf Incorporated):
 * Almost as important as the falafel are the condiments [...]
 * 2004, Robyn Webb, Jamy D. Ard, Eat to Beat High Blood Pressure, Readers Digest (ISBN 9780762105083), page 140:
 * The falafel are also delicious cold, with the minted yogurt, salad, and warm pita bread.
 * 2006, Sebastian Dickhaut, Oriental basics: all you need to add magic to your home cooking (ISBN 9780760784426):
 * Fish them out with a slotted spoon and place them on some paper towels to drain. The falafel are best served hot, but they are also tasty once they&#39;ve cooled.
 * 2011, Tom Hudgens, The Commonsense Kitchen: 500 Recipes + Lessons for a Hand-Crafted Life, Chronicle Books (ISBN 9781452100333), page 181:
 * Fry, turning once, until the falafel are a deep brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Break one open to make sure they are cooked through—they will look doughy and be lighter colored in the centers if they are not [...]
 * 2013, Andrew Smith, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (ISBN 9780199734962), page 724:
 * The falafel are turned once during the cooking process to brown the patties evenly on both sides, then removed to drain on a paper towel.