[4] Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, asked Eugen Proper, one of the founders of the Osem food company, to devise a wheat-based substitute for rice.

[7] Ptitim is made by extruding dough through a round mold, before it is cut and toasted, giving it the uniform natural-grain-like shape[6] and its unique nutty flavor.

[10][5] Ptitim has also been popularised in other countries,[7] and in the United States, it can be found on the menus of contemporary American chefs and in gourmet markets.

[11] Commonly, ptitim is prepared with sautéed onions or garlic (vegetables, meat, chicken or sausage can also be added).

[13] The round shape of ptitim is reminiscent of the forms of Levantine 'pearl' couscous that pre-date it, and which are known as moghrabieh in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, or as maftoul in Palestinian cuisine.

[14][4] While moghrabieh and maftoul are produced by rolling dough between the palms or fingers, ptitim are formed by extrusion through a die in the same process as many other pastas,[15] and the two are somewhat different in terms of taste and preparation.