Hummus

Place of Origin: Middle East & Greece
by Julianne Keskey

Hummus is an easy to make, versatile, nutritious & delicious staple in my refrigerator. Whether you keep it around for snacking or spreading on sandwiches or wraps, nothing tastes better than homemade when it comes down to this chickpea-based spread.

I’ve been searching for the origin of hummus and there seems to be plenty of debate on where the stuff was actually born. Some swear the Greeks created hummus and others are dead set on the Middle East & Israel. The word ‘hummus’ is Arabic for ‘chickpea’, after all. It could be that the debate on its origin is due to Greece and Egypt being trade countries for centuries and it’s hard to pin down exactly where and when it was created. But according to history, hummus originated in 13th century Egypt. If you’re curious about settling the mystery for yourself, maybe you’d enjoy playing detective on our Greek Classics & Nile in Style Egypt tours?

Regardless of the debate, hummus is delicious! I like to stick to a basic recipe most of the time, but really enjoy adding a twist. In my opinion, roasted vegetables add a nice kick to the classic. Red peppers, garlic, beets and jalapeños are all wonderful options. Kalamata olives make for a tasty, briny hummus if you’re one who’s convinced that Greece is where the spread was bread.

The recipe below will leave you with an earthy, slightly sweet hummus and a beautiful magenta-like hue. However, for a classic hummus, just drop the beets… (see what I did there?)

Ingredients List:

1 can drained chickpeas
2 tbsp tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium roasted and chopped beet (you can roast yourself or buy them pre-roasted)
Salt to taste

1. Combine chickpeas, lemon juice & tahini in a food processor, blend until well combined.
2. Drizzle in olive oil & blend to a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste.

3. Add beets to hummus & continue to blend until you receive a lovely, magenta spread.