Vegetable Recipes

The History of Hummus

The History of Hummus

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The History of Hummus – A Middle Eastern Cuisine That Started a Food War

The title says it all! Who would have thought that a simple dish such as Hummus could start wars in the Middle Eastern countries? For all those people out their searching when this delicious recipe was created, you may stop your search and put a rest to your curiosity here because the exact origin of Hummus is “unknown”.

History

Also known as “ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna” (حُمُّص بالطحينة), the main ingredient of this dish chickpeas has been around for thousands of years, recorded in the earliest crops of Mesopotamia in the Palestine. There has been a long debate, which is still ongoing in certain countries that Hummus belongs to the Egyptian Arabs. Dating back to the 13th century when Hummus was made for the first time. Funny thing is the Arabs, Greeks and Israelis have fought “food wars” over the ownership of this dip.

Here’s a fun fact:

In 2008, Lebanon attempted to sue Israel, accusing them of “stealing” Hummus. That’s insane! However, the attempt was unsuccessful. Since then, both nations have been in a war over breaking the world record by creating the largest and heaviest plate of Hummus.

As of 2010, Lebanon holds the Guinness World Record for creating “The Largest Dish of Hummus”, which was prepared by 300 cooks and weighed

23,040 lb.

The Middle-Eastern Dish That’s Conquering the World

Hummus plate

“Jewish men never tire of arguments about the absolute, the one and only, the most fantastic Hummusia… It is like the English fish-and-chips shop, a savored local treasure.”
– Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Chef Yotam Ottolenghi

As far as we know, the very first time Hummus was introduced in Britain was in the 1980s. As for the US, the first company to introduce Hummus was Sabra Dipping Company. In 2016, Sabra held 62% of the market share of Hummus and today, this market is worth over $1 billion dollars.

The reason why this dip is conquering the world and peoples’ hearts is because it’s a delicious package that comes with a healthy punch. The tangy flavor and the subtle taste when you take the first bite with a black olive makes you keep going back for more. In fact, in Israel, restaurants have come to blows over whose Hummus tastes the best.

Nutritional Facts

Before going into brief detail about the nutritional benefits this dip offers, let’s have a look at its nutrition facts:

Chickpeas have appreciable contents such as protein, manganese, dietary fiber, thiamin, phosphorus, B vitamins and other nutrients. A plate of 100 grams of Hummus has around 170 calories, which fulfils:

  • 10% of you daily nutrition intake value
  • As for the fat content from olive oil and Tahini, the roundup is 14%, with 65% water, 10% sugar and protein, and 17% total carbohydrates

Nutritional Benefits

  • People who eat Hummus as their meals are 53% less likely to be obese
  • Lowers cholesterol levels
  • Improves digestive health
  • Increases heart health
  • Excellent dipping protein for veggies
  • Contains Folate, which may help in fighting colon cancer
  • Tastier in recipes that call for cream cheese and mayonnaise
  • Safe for food allergies

The first taste of Hummus usually makes you go Mhhmmm… and why not? We like to say that this little dip made from just six ingredients is “The Queen of Aphrodisiac”.

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