Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 14:07, 28 February 2008

For the biological matter in soil, see Humus; for the band, see Humus (band).

Hummus (also variously spelled hamos, houmous, hommos, hommus, hummos, hummous or humus) is a dip or spread which in its modern form is made of blended chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice and garlic. Hummus has been a dietary staple in various local forms throughout the Middle Eastern world for thousands of years.

The name comes from the Arabic word for chickpeas حُمُّص (pronounced hummus). The full name in Arabic is حُمُّص بالطحينة (hummus bi tahina) which means chickpeas with tahini.

History

The origins of hummus are unknown. It is one of the oldest known prepared foods and has been used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine for thousands of years. Plato and Socrates both noted the nourishing benefits of hummus (hommos in Greek), which has been a part of Greek culture at least since classical times. An ancient Egyptian recipe uses wine vinegar instead of lemon juice, which did not arrive in the Middle East until about the 8th century CE.

Hummus has long been a staple food in Syria and Lebanon. The dish later became popular in Jordan and Israel and has become increasingly available in America and Europe.

Serving methods

As an appetizer and dip, hummus is traditionally scooped with flatbread (such as pita) but it is increasingly eaten with tortilla chips and crackers of various kinds outside the Middle East. Hummus is also used as part of a meze, as a sandwich filling and as a dressing (for such things as falafel, grilled chicken, Fish or eggplant).

Hummus may be garnished with colorful vegetables and garnishes which can include parsley, sumac, pickled turnips (traditional in Lebanon), cumin (traditional in Egypt), pine nuts (traditional Palestinian), chopped or thinly-sliced tomato, cucumber, cilantro, sautéed mushrooms, whole chickpeas, olive oil and hard-boiled egg.

Pickled turnips are used as an accompaniment along with pickled cucumbers and hot green peppers in Lebanon; the traditional garnish is sour pomegranate seeds. It is essentially an eastern Mediterranean dish and not commonly found in such areas of the Middle East as India or Pakistan and rarely in Persia, those three nations really being Indo-European rather than Eastern Mediterranean.

Nutritional information

Hummus contains large amounts of the nutrients iron, vitamin C, and is a good source of protein and dietary fiber thanks to its primary ingredient. Depending on the recipe, it contains varying amounts of monounsaturated fat.

Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets: like other combinations of grains and pulses, hummus with bread provides all essential amino acids for humans.

Popular variations

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Hummus Awarma (traditional in Lebanon), which is hummus topped with minced meat, onions and pine nuts.
• Hummus Ful (pronounced /fuːl/), which is hummus topped with a paste made from fava beans boiled until soft and then crushed into a mush.
• Hummus Masubha/Mashawsha, a mixture of hummus paste, warm chickpeas and tahini.
• Hummus mahluta, which is hummus paste covered with a combination of ful paste and warm chick peas. Also known as Kudshiya in Jordan

Notes

1. ^ eddybles.com, Feta Artichoke Hummus, retrieved 28 February 2008
2. ^ mideastfood.about.com, Hummus 101, retrieved 28 February 2008
3. ancientnile.co.uk, Ancient Niles Ancient Egyptian Recipes, retrieved 28 February 2008
4. answers.com, Hummus, retrieved 28 February 2008
5. Palestinian Hummus, in the San Francisco Chronicle, Food Section, April 4 2007
6. Hummus NutritionData.com

• Middle Eastern cuisine
• Mediterranean cuisine
• Appetizers
• Dips
• Vegetarian cuisine
• Vegan cuisine
• Legume dishes