Hummus

Why I thought it would be gross: Hummus has a couple of bad things going for it – color and texture. There aren’t too many foods that are off brown/gray and the consistency of a gritty paste that make you stand up and get excited. Also, the name hummus actually doesn’t contain the English name of what its ingredients are, so I’m left to wonder, and that can’t ever be good. And, the main ingredient (chickpeas) isn’t actually that appetizing on its own either – kinda’ gritty and mushy and bland.

Ingredients: Mashed chickpeas (little pasty cream-colored, soft-shelled beans), blended with tahini (sort of a sesame seed paste, gives it a nice sesame bagel/nutty flavor), olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is popular throughout the Middle East and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe.

Character: According to Wikipedia, hummus is a Levantine Arab food dip or spread and is popular through the Middle East and in Middle Eastern cuisine. It has kind of a natural peanut butter texture to it. Generally, hummus is served with pita bread, vegetables (like carrots or celery), or other dip-able items. It’s also often served with a little pool of olive oil in the middle that you can stir in as you dip. Other toppings/accoutrement include pine nuts (little sunflower-seed-sized nuts that have kind of a bitter flavor), paprika (a sprinkled red sweet/peppery delicate spice), parsley (an herb with a slightly grassy taste), and minced garlic. While I’m far from a hummus expert, I would like to suggest buying Sabra brand hummus in the Classic flavor with some pita chips or carrots to get a taste for this, since it’s probably unlikely you’re hanging out in Mediterranean restaurants if you haven’t had this, and those are good places to get hummus. You can eat it right out of the container straight from the fridge, warm it up with a little oil, or serve it at room temperature, whatever might be your fancy.



What I thought: I’ve really come to love hummus, so much so that I have to avoid buying it every time I go to the store because I have a tendency to eat an entire container of it in a matter of two days, and while it isn’t inherently unhealthy, it is a little calorie heavy. What I like about it is that it’s easy to eat, it’s creamy, and it’s savory thanks to the garlic and olive oil in it (and who doesn’t love garlic and olive oil?). It’s also pretty cheap and easy to make at home if you have a food processor or blender – there are tons of recipes online. While it looks a little strange, and features somewhat nontraditional ingredients , it really is worth a try!

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummus
http://humus101.com/EN/ Of course there is a blog for everything. This one has lots of trivia about hummus, including a post on the smallest hummus plate ever that won a Guinness World Record (it’s 39mm); it also features recipes and reviews of hummus in restaurants around the world.