In Skåne, the falafel is more common and usually much cheaper than in other parts of Sweden. Maybe even too cheap?
Photo: Dimitris Kalandranis
Malmö was named “Sweden’s falafel capital” in the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet in 2008, and the western part of Skåne is crowded with affordable falafel eating-houses. But why is it not popular in the north?
The ethnographer Håkan Jönsson thinks falafel is especially popular in Skåne because many of the first immigrant groups from the Middle East settled in Malmö and gave falafel a strong foothold. It has also been a vegetarian dish that has been adopted by everybody.
“Falafel is very non-political in that way. It has not been a watershed between meat eaters and non-meat eaters”, he says.
The prices were dumped during the 90s
The main reason why it is cheap is supply and demand. Those who demand the falafel is mainly groups that generally do not have much money, for example students.
“During the crisis of the 90s, many restaurant owners competed by lowering their prices, and that is something that has stayed”, Håkan Jönsson explains. There is also a correlation between the origin of the food and how much it costs. French restaurants are often expensive, while Turkish food seems impossible to sell expensive however rich their food culture may be.
Falafel is too cheap
There is no direct answer as to why falafel is so much cheaper in Skåne compared to the rest of the country, but all regions seem to have their own favorite fast food. In the northern part of Sweden, the tray with mashed potatoes is more popular while a flatbread roll is the favorite meal in Central Sweden.
But it is not just a good thing that we can enjoy this chickpea dish for such a low price. According to Håkan Jönsson the falafel is too cheap. “Today the restaurant owners cannot live a decent life on revenues, it had not even been possible if the primary products were for free”, he says.
Text: Jessica Gustafsson
Translation: Lars Jansson
