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

Hummus with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and sumac

Hummus (also spelled hamos, houmous, hommos, hommus, hummos, hummous or humus; see romanization of Arabic) is a dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Hummus is a popular food in various local forms throughout the Middle Eastern world.^[1]

Etymology

The word comes from Arabic حمّص ḥummuṣ^[2] 'chickpeas'. Like other Arabic loanwords, its spelling in English is unstable.^[2] The earliest known use of the word hummus in English noted by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) was in 1955.^[3] The three most common spellings for the word as transliterated into English are hummus, hommos and hoummos. The spelling humus is avoided in English due to its similarity to the English word humus, though this is the most common Turkish spelling^[2] and the OED indicates the word entered the English language from Turkish.^[3] The full Arabic name of the prepared spread is حُمُّص بطحينة (ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna) which means chickpeas with tahina.

Historical origins unknown

Hummus with pine nuts

Many cuisine-related sources carry forward a folklore which describes hummus as one of the oldest known prepared foods^[4][5][6] with a long history in the Middle East which stretches back to antiquity, but its historical origins are unknown.^[7][8] The historical enigma is such that the origins of hummus bi tahini could be much more recent than is widely believed. One of the earliest verifiable descriptions of hummus comes from 18th-century Damascus and the same source claims it was unknown elsewhere.^[9] Meanwhile some cookbooks repeat the legend that hummus was first prepared in the 12th century CE by Saladin.^[10] Hummus is noted in a source cited by the OED as a traditional Arab dish.^[11] Sources such as Cooking in Ancient Civilizations by Cathy K. Kaufman^[12] carry speculative recipes for an ancient Egyptian hummus, substituting vinegar for lemon juice, but acknowledge we do not know how the Egyptians ate their chick-peas. Similarly, no recipe for hummus has been identified among the many books on cooking surviving from ancient Rome.

History of the ingredients

No date or history has been documented as to when mashed chickpeas and sesame paste (with or without garlic and lemon) were first combined into a dish anything like the now widely-known food hummus bi tahini.

Chickpeas and sesame, the crops from which hummus's main ingredients are taken, were known and cultivated in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds. Chickpeas are hummus's principal ingredient, and have been a human food item for over 10,000 years.^[13] The chickpea was used as a food item in Palestine before 4000 BC, was a common street dish in ancient Rome^[12] and was one of the earliest crops cultivated in Mesopotamia. Archeological evidence identifies chickpeas in the Sumerian diet before 2500 BC.^[14] They are noted in a 13th century work by Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Karim al Katab al Baghdadi of Persia for a "simple dish" of meat, pulses and spices.^[15] It is unknown whether chickpeas were commonly mashed in any of these cultures. Tahini (sesame paste) likewise lacks any clear historical context. Sesame was grown as a crop in ancient Assyrian and Babylonian gardens and is mentioned by Columella.^[16] It was common in Roman and Persian kitchens in the form of sesame oil but not as the tahini paste of hummus bi tahini.^[17]

Other ingredients are used in sundry recipes of hummus bi tahini. The olive originated in Syria and Palestine, where it was being cultivated by the fourth millennium BC. A variety may have been indigenous to Crete, where olives were being cultivated by 2500 BC. The Bible mentions olive oil many times and it was exported from Palestine to places such as Egypt. Several Roman writers indicate that salt was used in extracting the oil.^[18] Garlic was grown in the gardens of King Merodach-Baladan II of Babylon and probably was in Greece by the early Bronze Age.^[19] The lemon was last to arrive in the Middle East and Mediterranean world, originating in India. However, depictions of lemons have been found at Pompeii and Tusculum, so this fruit must have reached the Roman world, at least as a luxury import, by the first century.^[20]

Nutritional information

Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber. Depending on the recipe hummus carries varying amounts of monounsaturated fat.^[21] Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets and like other combinations of grains and pulses, when eaten with bread it provides essential amino acids. In the United States, the government is trying to introduce healthier food in school cafeterias to slow obesity rates; along with whole-grain pizzas and baked chicken nuggets, the new offerings include hummus. ^[22]

Serving methods

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)

As an appetizer and dip hummus is scooped with flatbread (such as pita). Hummus is also served as part of a meze or as an accompaniment to falafel, grilled chicken, fish or eggplant. Garnishes include chopped tomato, cucumber, cilantro, parsley, sautéed mushrooms, whole chickpeas, olive oil, hard-boiled eggs, paprika, ful, olives and pickles. Outside the Middle East it is sometimes served with tortilla chips or crackers.

Hummus ful (pronounced /fuːl/) is topped with a paste made from fava beans boiled until soft and then crushed. Hummus masubha/mashawsha is a mixture of hummus paste, warm chickpeas and tahini.

Lebanon

Lebanese style hummus topped with whole chickpeas and olive oil.

In Lebanon hummus is a traditional, widely consumed and very popular dish. Hummus in Lebanon may be garnished with colorful vegetables along with parsley and sumac. Pickled turnips along with pickled cucumbers and hot green peppers may be served on the side with a traditional garnish of sour pomegranate seeds. In Lebanon hummus is also served with whole chickpeas and olive oil on top. Hummus awarma is topped with minced meat, onions and pine nuts. Lebanese restaurants have introduced humus in various cities around the world and helped make it a popular dish internationally.

Palestine

In Palestine hummus has long been a staple food, garnished with olive oil and mint leaves, paprika, parsley, or cumin.^[23] A related dish popular in both Jordan and the territories is laban ma' hummus ("Yogurt and chickpeas") which uses yogurt in the place of tahini and butter in the place of olive oil. The chickpeas are first boiled alone before the other ingredients are added, and it is served hot.^[24] The Palestinian hummus has many varieties, such as Hummus masabacha, made with lemon-spiked tahini garnished with whole chickpeas and a sprinkling of paprika

Syria

In Vegetarian Dishes from the Middle East Arto der Hartoiunian calls hummus "one of the most popular and best-known of all Syrian dishes" and "a must on any mezzeh table."^[25] Syrians in Canada's Arab diaspora prepare and consume hummus along with other dishes like falafel, kibbe and tabouleh, even among the third and fourth-generation offspring of the original immigrants.^[26]

Turkey

Hummus is a widely appreciated appetizer in kebab houses and mediterrenian grills in Turkey. It is often served as a sidedish and sometimes as the main entree especially in southern and southeastern Turkish cuisine. It is traditionally consumed with pita bread, lemon juice, hot red pepper melted in butter and optionally with garlic and/or pastrami.

Egypt

Hummus is traditionally garnished with cumin in Egypt.

Jordan

In Jordan hummus mahluta (also known as kudshiya) is covered with a combination of ful paste and warm chick peas.

Greece

Although not traditionally a Greek dish, hummus in Greece is more known for being flavored with mint, or seasoned on sandwiches such as shawarma and pita burgers.

Israel

Hummus is a common part of everyday meals in Israel.^[27] Many restaurants in Israel, mainly the Arab Palestinian restaurants and the Mizrahi Jewish restaurants, are dedicated to hot hummus, which may be served as chickpeas softened with baking soda along with garlic, olive oil, cumin and tahini. One of the "fancier" humus versions available is the traditional Palestinian hummus masabacha, made with lemon-spiked tahini garnished with whole chickpeas, a sprinkling of paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil.^[28]

Oman

Hummus is a staple of Omani diet, which is a mixture of foods from neighboring regions. In Oman Hummus is served very plain usually, with just a little oil on top and a few whole chickpeas for garnishment. The type of flatbread it is served with varies greatly and restaurants often will offer customers a choice.

See also

• Arab cuisine
• Lebanese cuisine
• Turkish cuisine
• Greek cuisine
• Iraqi cuisine
• Syrian cuisine
• Palestinian cuisine
• Levantine cuisine
• Israeli cuisine

References

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of

Cookbook:Hummus

Bibliography