Hummus

Any time you pass through the deli department of your local store, you’re probably going to see a container of hummus. It comes in a wide variety of flavors, and colors. It’s touted as healthy and delicious. A great dip that can go with a multitude of things; celery, carrots and pita being the most popular. I personally love it, and, it’s very easy to make. So read on, and get to know hummus a little better.

Hummus is an Arab word for chickpea. The full name of the dish in Arabic is Hummus bi tahini, which means chickpeas with tahini, so hummus for short. However the word hummus goes way back into history and the pre Arab language of Aramaic. What this does, is create some spelling variations in English; Hummus, Hommos, Hommous are a few. But, we’ll settle on the most popular, Hummus. Although there is no definitive history of the dish, it has been mentioned as far back as Egypt in 700AD. And it’s main ingredients have been cultivated for millennia.

Some consider it the unofficial national dish of Israel. It is a dish that under the Kosher rules can be eaten with both meat and dairy products. And, it’s Halal, so it caters to the Jewish and Muslim religions. Hummus is a cultural dish that is found in all Eastern Mediterranean countries.

The basic ingredient list is very simple, chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. There are many regional variations of this, other ingredients will be added, and some spices, but the main 5 items will always be there.

Chickpeas have a long history. Based on archeology of the Mediterranean region, the chickpea was domesticated about 9000 years ago in what is now Turkey. Domesticating a plant means it was cultivated by humans to to increase yield, value and usability by us. The humble chickpea is packed with essential nutrients, 43% DV folate and 49% DV manganese, 24% DV phosphorous and 22% DV iron. It has 7.6 grams dietary fiber per 1/2 cup with 164 calories. There’s a reason that chickpeas have been part of our diet for so long.

Tahini is sesame paste. The sesame is another ancient plant that we have cultivated for millennia around the Eastern Mediterranean. It gives hummus the smooth texture, and helps to bind everything together. And, similar to the chickpea, it is a nutritional powerhouse. 138% DV thiamine, 113% DV phosphorous, 49% DV zinc. Sesame does have a high fat content, however, of the 53 grams fat per 1/2 cup serving, 43 grams are mono and polyunsaturated fats. Studies have shown these to be good for you. The more you look at the ingredients of hummus, the more it shows, that, not only is it delicious, but a healthy snack too.

Garlic is the next ingredient. I wrote a whole post on garlic, it’s another powerhouse, and not just the flavor. I personally love it, hence the 4 cloves, you can adjust the amount with more or less as you like it. Olive oil helps to emulsify and lemon juice adds a tart note.

Now to the spices. Because hummus has it’s roots in the Eastern Mediterranean region, I wanted to keep the spices from that region too, to keep it as authentic as I could. Starting with cumin. Although cumin is originally from the far east, it was brought to the Eastern Mediterranean region and is used extensively in the regional cooking, with a very distinctive earthy flavor.

And now to make the hummus. Toss everything into a food processor with about 4 ice cubes. The ice is because heat is generated during the blending process, and, the ice cools it a bit. Now to blend, it will clump a bit while blending, just add a little water to help, won’t need much. Blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes will do. Now taste, you can add more of anything, but just remember, you can’t take away. So, if you’re concerned about the spice level, add a little at the beginning, then add some more at the end. Just blend for 30 seconds or so to mix well and re taste.

And, that’s my hummus recipe, it’s delicious and healthy. I like to garnish with something green, a little olive oil and maybe some whole chickpeas. Thank you for reading and enjoy.