The hummus wars continue

Look at all that protein! Yum.

In fact, the majority of the most popular traditionally middle eastern dishes are Lebanese.

I have personally tried both styles of Hummous and found the popular Israeli brands lacking.
In addition, meals like tabbouleh, baba ghanouj, and ftayir are through and through Lebanese.

I learned an old Lebanese recipe for hummous years ago and it continues to be one of my favorite foods. As a matter of fact, this article whetted my appetite and it's time for me to whip up another batch when I get home from work.

Some fresh Hummous, olive oil, a few sprigs of parsley, some slices of locally grown Jersey plum tomatoes, and warmed pita will make an incredible dinner!

Thanks for the article, FP! =)

Lebanon's table pounding temper tantrum over a food item or Foreign Policy's decision to elevate what should be a back page article in a paper's Food section to the level of a supposed diplomatic bruhaha.

From comments on †he Hummus Blog:
"Chickpeas are known to man for at least 9000 years. The Greeks loved it and the Romans made various dishes with it. Technically, the first documented use of chickpeas to make hummus is from the time of the crusaders, and it took place in ancient Israel. The use of chickpeas to make a traditional dish called “Hamitz” was mentioned in the Talmud, some 700 years earlier.

There’s even a theory dating hummus invention around 1000BC, claiming it was mentioned in the bible. Also, there’s a good chance that modern pita bread is a late Israeli invention, since it’s hollowed, and this requires the use of modern ovens, a technology probably brought from Europe.

On the other hand ...the simple fact is that hummus is an authentic member of the Arab kitchen, and has been so for at least the last few centuries – and maybe long before that."

Note that many Hummus mavens claim the best Hummus is Palestinian Arab, not Lebanese. Syrian Hummus is also said to be very good.

Some reasons Lebanese Hummus may not be as prevalently sourced are:
It is an appetizer in Lebanon, but a main dish in the Territories and Israel.
Its popularity in the US is mainly due to the Israelis, not the Lebanese.
The two biggest brands in the US, Sabra and Tribe, found in almost every supermarket, are Israeli-owned.
The market for Hummus in the US is vastly more Jewish and Israeli than Arab, and just about every widely sold brand of Hummus in the US carries Kosher certification.

My personal experience is that Lebanese cuisine is less tasty compared to Jordanian, Syrian, etc. Perhaps that is due to the Greek/Armenian influence--those peoples tend to overcook their vegetables to the point of sogginess, though there are some shining exceptions. And by the way, the Egyptians make the best Falafel (Tamiyya), because they use Fava beans, not Chick peas as most other Arab countries and the Israelis do.

Summing up, each country has its own traditional recipes; boundaries in the region are relatively recent and so food traveled widely and was subject to local modification. Food is a matter of personal taste. If we could have food competition as the moral equivalent of war, the world would be a better place.

Anyone for the "World Series of Hummus"?

Watch out Lebabnon! -- the War Criminal I.D.F. will bomb that dish. And we know Hamas is hiding behind it.

That two-ton dish of hummous is an existential threat to the invented state of Israel (aka Occupied Palestine).

I think it is actually yellow-cake bound for the Iranian civil nuclear program.

Must...bomb....something....must....bomb....something.....

'For goodness sake eat them!' she cried at the table.
They're nutritious, delicious and told of in fable.
Child bane, mother's savior and nicer than rice,
Chick peas mashed with spices are awfully nice.

:-)
Composed with some of my friends in the basement of the Baghdad convention center in 2003, while administering the oil for food program's coordination center.
tomk