Hummus or more precisely hummus bi tahini (Arabic: حُمُّص‎; Hebrew: חוּמוּס‎; Armenian համոս hamos; also spelled houmous, hommus, hummous or humus) is a dip made of ground chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon juice, and garlic, and often olive oil and paprika.

In Arabic and Hebrew, the word hummus is used to describe the dish or just chickpeas on their own. The full name of the dish is (Arabic: حُمُّص بطحينة‎ hummus bi tahina) 'chickpeas with tahini'.

Hummus is popular in various local forms throughout the Middle Eastern world. While it is thought of as Greek in some parts of the world, hummus is a Levantine Arab dish.

Hummus is often garnished with parsley, paprika, pine nuts, tomatoes, cucumber, thinly-sliced onions, mushrooms, or more chickpeas, and then drizzled with olive oil before serving. Hummus is traditionally scooped up with flatbread, but is increasingly popular as a dip for tortilla chips in non-Middle Eastern countries. Popular variations of Hummus include: hummus ful (pronounced /fuːl/), which is hummus topped with a paste made from fava beans boiled to softness and then crushed into a mush; hummus masubha/mashawsha, a mixture of hummus paste, warm chickpeas and tehina; and hummus mahluta, which is hummus paste covered with a combination of ful paste and warm chick peas. Hummus is also used as an appetizer dish to accompany main courses, as part of a meze, and as a dressing for falafel, Israeli salad, grilled chicken, and eggplant. The dish is extremely popular throughout the Middle East among all population groups.

Hummus is relatively cheap to make with either dried or canned chickpeas. The cooked or canned chickpeas are ground, using a food processor or hand blender, with olive oil, lemon juice, and tahini. A bit of the water in which the chickpeas were boiled may be added to reach the desired consistency. Garlic, salt, parsley, onions, cumin, and/or chili powder may be added. For a softer texture, the skins can be removed from the chickpeas by using a strainer. Ideally, hummus should not be refrigerated and should be eaten within an hour or two of making.

Hummus is a nutritious food, containing a large amount of protein, dietary fiber, iron, and (depending on the recipe) varying amounts of mono-unsaturated fat; it is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Product recall

In February 2007 some UK supermarkets recalled certain hummus brands after the Marks and Spencer company found traces of salmonella in a variety of the product.

History

It is said that its origins trace back to the Sultan Saladin, a veteran of the Crusades, who enjoyed cooking as a pastime. His experiments with hummus purportedly resulted in the creation of the Sultan's Forty Spice variety, which spawned many imitations and has been a Middle Eastern favorite for centuries.

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