“As an eight-year-old, I wanted McDonald’s!” declared cookbook author and television personality Shahir Massoud on a recent Zoom call. “But, when my parents wanted a real treat, they wanted Egyptian falafel.” His adolescent dreams dashed, Massoud would accompany his parents whenever their craving-fueled outings drove them to the “one or two places” in Toronto that sold the real deal: deep-fried, light-as-air discs encased in a perfectly crisp shell. Break one open and you’ll reveal a vibrant green center. That green center is important, says Massoud. In his new cookbook Eat, Habibi, Eat!, he writes that you’ll often see Egyptians break open a falafel before eating to make sure they’re legit. The green color in Egyptian falafel comes from the use of fava beans in combination with a blend of herbs—most falafel is made with chickpeas, which results in a beige center instead.