Ptitim was created in 1953,[3] during the austerity period in Israel.[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.[5] The company took up the challenge and developed ptitim, which is made of hard wheat flour and toasted in an oven. Ptitim was initially produced with a rice-shape, but after its success Osem also began to produce a ball-shaped variety inspired by couscous. [6] Consequently, ptitim is sometimes called "Ben-Gurion rice".[7]