Hummus

Hummus with olive oil
Origin
Place of origin	Egypt, Levant
Details
Course	Meze
Serving temperature	Cold
Main ingredient(s)	Chickpeas, tahini

Hummus is a Middle Eastern food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.^[1] In its earliest form, "Hummus Kasa",^[2] the recipe is of medieval Egyptian origin: 'Hummus Kasa', the earliest documented recipe for something similar to modern hummus (although without garlic, and with additional spices and nuts), dates to 13th Century (CE) Egypt. Today, it is popular throughout the Middle East (the Levant in particular), Morocco, and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe.

Etymology[link]

The English word hummus comes from Turkish humus meaning the hummus food dip or spread, which in turn comes from Arabic حمّص ḥummuṣ, in turn derived from ḥimmaṣ "chickpeas".^[3] The earliest known attestation for hummus in English is in 1955.^[4] Spellings of the word in English can be inconsistent.^[5] Among the spellings are hummus, hummous, houmous, hommos, humos, hommus, hoummos, etc. The spelling humus is generally avoided in English as it is a homonym of humus (organic matter in soil), though this is the usual Turkish spelling^[5] and the Oxford English Dictionary indicates the word entered the English language from Turkish.^[4]

The complete name of the prepared spread in Arabic is حمّص بطحينة ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna which means "chickpeas with tahini".^{[citation needed]}

History[link]

Hummus with pine nuts and olive oil

Many cuisine-related sources describe hummus as a very ancient food,^[6][7][8] or connect it to famous historical figures such as Saladin.^[9] Indeed, its basic ingredients—chickpeas, sesame, lemon, and garlic—have been eaten in the region for millennia.^[10][11]

But in fact, there is no specific evidence for this purported ancient history of hummus bi tahini.^[12] Though chickpeas were widely eaten in the region, and they were often cooked in stews and other hot dishes,^[13] puréed chickpeas eaten cold with tahini do not appear before the Abbasid period in Egypt and the Levant.^[14]

The earliest known recipes for something similar to hummus bi tahini date to 13th century Egypt. A cold purée of chickpeas with vinegar and pickled lemons with herbs, spices, and oil, but no tahini or garlic, appears in the Kitāb al-Wusla ilā l-habīb fī wasf al-tayyibāt wa-l-tīb;^[14] and a purée of chickpeas and tahini called hummus kasa appears in the Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada: it is based on puréed chickpeas and tahini, and acidulated with vinegar (though not lemon), but it also contains many spices, herbs, and nuts, and no garlic. It is also served by rolling it out and letting it sit overnight,^[15] which presumably gives it a very different texture from hummus bi tahini.

Nutritional information[link]

Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6.^[16] The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Depending on the recipe, hummus carries varying amounts of monounsaturated fat.^[17] Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets; like other combinations of grains and pulses, it serves as a complete protein when eaten with bread.

Serving methods[link]

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

Hummus ful (pronounced [ˈfuːl]) 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.

In Vegetarian Dishes from the Middle East, Arto der Haroutunian calls hummus "one of the most popular and best-known of all Syrian dishes" and "a must on any mezzeh table."^[18] 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.^[19]

Israeli[link]

Hummus topped with ful and tehina

Hummus is a common part of everyday meals in Israel.^[20] A significant reason for the popularity of hummus in Israel is the fact that it is made from ingredients that, following Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws), can be combined with both meat and dairy meals. In order for a restaurant to be certified kosher in Israel, it is necessary for meat and dairy foods to be prepared in separate kitchens. Few other foods can be combined with a wide variety of meals consistently with the dietary laws.^[21] It is seen as almost equally popular amongst Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs.^[21] As a result of its popularity, Israelis elevated hummus to become a "national food symbol" and consume more than twice as much hummus as neighbouring Arab countries, according to figures by Tsabar Salads, a hummus manufacturer in Israel.^[22] Commenting on its popularity, Gil Hovav, an Israeli food editor interviewed on the BBC program Cooking in the Danger Zone, stated that "even during the intifada years Jews would sneak [...] into the Muslim quarter just to have a vital, really genuine good humous [sic]," and noted that like many dishes considered to be Israeli national foods, hummus is actually Arab.^[23] However, he also said, commenting on Iraqi, Egyptian, Syrian or Yemeni food in Israel, that "Jews came from these countries to Israel and they brought their food with them".^[24] Many restaurants run by Mizrahi Jews and Arab citizens of Israel are dedicated to hot hummus, which may be served as chick peas softened with baking soda along with garlic, olive oil, cumin and tahini. One of the fancier hummus versions available is hummus masabacha, made with lemon-spiked tahini garnished with whole chick peas, a sprinkling of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.^[25] Hummus is sold in restaurants, supermarkets and hummus-only shops (known in Hebrew as humusiot).^[26]

Palestinian[link]

For Palestinians, hummus has long been a staple food, often served warm, with bread, for breakfast, lunch or dinner^[27] All of the ingredients in hummus are easily found in Palestinian gardens, farms and markets, thus adding to the availability and popularity of the dish. In Palestinian areas, hummus is usually garnished, with olive oil, "nana" mint leaves, paprika, parsley or cumin.^[28] A related dish popular in the region of Palestine and Jordan is laban ma' hummus ("yogurt and chickpeas"), which uses yogurt in the place of tahini and butter in the place of olive oil and is topped with pieces of toasted bread.^[27]

Packaged product[link]

United States[link]

By the end of the 20th century, hummus had emerged as part of the American culinary fabric.^[29] In 2008, more than fifteen million Americans consumed hummus on a regular basis.^[29] Hummus became a popular staple in American restaurants with the Armenian migration from Lebanon to Southern California and the East Coast after the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).^[30] It was further popularized in the United States by Jews returning from visits in Israel and by Israeli expatriates.^[29]

According to a 2010 market research, hummus consumption in the United States has increased by 35% over a period of 21 months, with sales reaching nearly $300 million. In 2006, hummus was present in 12% of American households, rising to 17% by early 2009.^[31] One commentator attributed the growth of Hummus to America’s embrace of ethnic foods, and to experimentation with exotic foods.^[31]

In November 2009, Gadi Lesin, President & CEO of the Israeli Strauss group food manufacturer said that market share of co-owned Sabra Dipping Company in the USA makes it the largest packaged hummus dip manufacturer in the world.^[32]

Controversy[link]

In October 2008 the Association of Lebanese Industrialists petitioned to the Lebanese ministry of Economy to request protected status from the European Commission for hummus as a uniquely Lebanese food, similar to the Protected Geographical Status rights held over regional food items by various European Union countries.^[33][34][35] Fadi Abboud (president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association), stated that "Israelis have usurped several Lebanese and oriental products",[1]. According to Abboud, Lebanon exported the first hummus dish in 1959.^[36] As a response, food critic Janna Gur wrote: "The success of certain brands of Israeli hummus abroad may have been what brought about Abboud's anger", leading him to claim that Israel has been "stealing" their country's national dishes, like hummus, falafel, tabbouleh and baba ghanouj.^[37] In response, Shooky Galili, an Israeli journalist specialising in food who writes a blog dedicated to hummus,[2] said that "trying to make a copyright claim over hummus is like claiming for the rights to bread or wine. [...] Hummus is a centuries old Arab dish—nobody owns it, it belongs to the region."^[38] As of late 2009, the Lebanese Industrialists Association was still "preparing documents and proof" to support its claim.^[39]

World record[link]

In May 2010, the Guinness World Record for the largest dish of hummus in the world returned to Lebanon.^[38][40] The winning dish, cooked by 300 cooks in the village of al-Fanar, near Beirut, weighed approximately 10450 kg (roughly 23000 lb), more than double the previous record set by 50 Israeli Arabs and Jews who cooked approximately 4100 kg (roughly 9000 lb) in January 2010 in the Arab-Israeli village of Abu Ghosh.^[41][42][43] According to local media, the recipe included 8 tons of boiled chick peas, 2 tons of tahini, 2 tons of lemon juice and 70 kg (154 lb) of olive oil.^[38]

See also[link]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

Further reading[link]

• McKenna, Alix. "Lebanon vs. Israel: A Delicious Culinary War", Moment, March/April 2011.

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Cookbook:Hummus

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hummus

Look up hummus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Alton Brown

Alton Brown at the 2011 Texas Book Festival.
Born	(1962-07-30) July 30, 1962 (age 49) Los Angeles, California, United States
Cooking style	American, Southern
Education	University of Georgia New England Culinary Institute
Television show(s) Good Eats Iron Chef America Feasting on Waves Feasting on Asphalt

Alton Crawford Brown (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, celebrity chef, author, actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats, the mini-series Feasting on Asphalt and Feasting on Waves, and host and main commentator on Iron Chef America. Brown is also the author of several books on cookery.

He brings a knowledge and enthusiasm for the science of cooking and food and a humorous approach to his shows. Bon Appétit magazine named him "Cooking Teacher of the Year" in 2004. He was named "Best Food Guru" by Atlanta magazine in 2005.^[1] In 2011, he won the James Beard Award for Best TV Food Personality.^[2]

Early life[link]

Brown was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. He was in the Boy Scouts.^[3] He received a degree in drama from the University of Georgia. He began his career in cinematography and film production.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was the cinematographer for several music videos, including The One I Love by R.E.M.. ^[4]

Career[link]

Brown notes that he was dissatisfied with the quality of cooking shows airing on American television, so he set out to produce his own show. In preparation, he enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute, graduating in 1997.^[5][6] Brown says that he was a poor science student in high school and college, but he focused on the subject to understand the underlying processes of cooking.

TV series[link]

[edit] Good Eats

The pilot for Good Eats first aired in July 1998 on the PBS member TV station WTTW in Chicago, Illinois. Food Network picked up the show in July 1999. In May 2011, Alton Brown announced an end to Good Eats after 14 seasons.^[7] The final episode, "Use Your Noodle V: Asian Noodles", aired May 2, 2011.

Many of the Good Eats episodes feature Brown building makeshift cooking devices in order to point out that many of the devices sold at conventional "cooking" stores are simply fancified hardware store items.

Good Eats was nominated for the Best T.V. Food Journalism Award by the James Beard Foundation in 2000.^[8] The show was also awarded a 2006 Peabody Award.^[9]

[edit] Iron Chef America

In 2004 Brown appeared on Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters, the second attempt to adapt the Japanese cooking show Iron Chef to American television, after UPN's Iron Chef USA, which featured William Shatner and was not well received. Brown served as the expert commentator, a modified version of the role played by Dr. Yukio Hattori in the original show. When the show became a series, Brown began serving as the play-by-play announcer, with Kevin Brauch as kitchen reporter. Brown also served as the host for all four seasons of the spin-off The Next Iron Chef.

[edit] Feasting on Asphalt

Brown's third series, Feasting on Asphalt, explores the history of eating on the move. Brown and his crew crossed the United States via motorcycle in a four-part miniseries about the history of road food. Brown samples food all along his travel route. He includes a "history of food" segment documenting famous road trips and interviews many of the foodies he meets en route.

The series premiered on Food Network on July 29, 2006. The mini-series was picked up for a second run, entitled Feasting on Asphalt 2: The River Run, in 2007. Six episodes were filmed during April and May 2007. The episodes trace the majority of the length of the Mississippi River through Brown's travels. The second run of episodes began airing on Food Network on August 4, 2007.

The third season uses the title Feasting on Waves and has Brown traveling the Caribbean Sea by boat in search of local cuisine. Brown also expressed trying a Feasting on Rails, as he is a train enthusiast.

Other appearances[link]

On November 11, 2007, Brown was the guest programmer on Turner Classic Movies as part of their guest programmer month. The films he selected were What's Up, Tiger Lily?, Closely Watched Trains, Point Blank, and Blowup.

He also acted in Suite Life of Zack and Cody

In 2008 he guest starred on Nickelodeon's TV series SpongeBob SquarePants in the show's sixth season episode, "House Fancy".

Brown also appeared in the Secrets of the Furious Five DVD feature "Mr. Ping's Noodle House".

Commercials[link]

Brown has done commercial work for General Electric (GE) products,^[10] including five infomercials touting the benefits of GE refrigerators, washers and dryers, water purifiers, Trivection ovens, and dishwashers.^[11] The infomercials are produced in the Good Eats style, employing the use of unusual camera angles, informational text, props, visual aids, scientific explanations, and the same method of delivery. These informercials are distributed to wholesale distributors of appliances/plumbing devices.

Brown has also aided GE in developing a new type of oven. He was initially called by GE to help their engineers learn more about the effects of heat on food;^[12] that grew into an active cooperation to develop GE's Trivection oven.^[13]

Brown has also done promotion for Dannon yogurt, Welch's grape juice, Shun knives, and most recently for Heifer International.

In 2010, he endorsed salt use in a campaign for Cargill.^[14]

Personal life[link]

Brown lives in Marietta, Georgia, with his wife DeAnna, his daughter Zoey (born in 1999), two Cardigan corgis, and a green iguana named Spike, although he claims to have disposed of a nasty lizard in a Good Eats episode.^[15] A few members of his extended family have appeared on Good Eats (such as his late grandmother, Ma Mae, his mother, and daughter, Zoey, who is known on the show as "Alton's Spawn"), but most of his "family" portrayed on the series is made up of actors and the show's production crew.^{[16][17][18][19]} DeAnna Brown is the co-executive producer of Good Eats but only appears on the tenth anniversary episode along with Zoey. Brown also portrays his frequently arrested evil twin brother "B.A." On the DVD release of the episode "American Pickle", Brown notes that many viewers ask him what his brother does for a living, suggesting that they are unaware that B.A. is simply the result of clever editing.

Brown is a motorcycling enthusiast, owning a BMW R1150RT.^[13] Brown is a pilot, and was featured in the aviation magazine AOPA Flight Training.^[20] He completed his first solo flight on June 25, 2007, and earned his private pilot certificate on June 5, 2008. He owns two planes, a Cessna 206 and a Cessna 414.^[21]

Brown has at least two tattoos, a honeybee on his left shoulder (shown on Iron Chef America), and a skull with a crossed knife and fork with the inscription "MMVII" (Roman numerals for the year 2007) that he got during the filming of Feasting on Asphalt.

Brown changed his eating habits in 2009 in order to lose weight and become healthier, losing 50 pounds (23 kg) over the course of nine months. He announced his weight loss and described the details of eating from the four basic lists without going on a typical diet on the January 4, 2010 episode "Live and Let Diet" of Good Eats.^[22] His first list, which he eats from daily, includes fruits, whole grains, leafy greens, nuts, carrots, and green tea. His second list, which he eats from at least three times per week, includes oily fish, yogurt, broccoli, sweet potato, and avocado. His third list, which he eats from no more than once per week, includes red meat, pasta, dessert, and alcohol. His fourth list includes foods he avoids: fast food, soda (except for club soda, which is okay), processed meals (such as TV dinners), canned soups (salt), and anything labeled "diet," because "this was not a diet."

Brown is a Christian. Brown says, "I'm not a spooky snake handler because I live in Georgia and I'm Christian, that I believe in the Bible, that I travel with the Bible, that I read the Bible every day. I'm still me. I'm still a guy doing a job. I find, actually, that people ask me a lot about it. I don't hit people over the head with the Bible ... I still feel a funny little tinge in my stomach when I'm out to dinner with my wife and daughter in New York. We'll go to dinner and we'll be sitting around the table and we'll say Grace. You know what? People are going to stare at you. I used to feel really self-conscious. But I've gotten to a point where I think, nah, I'm not going to feel bad about that. I'm not going to apologize about that." ^[23]

Bibliography[link]

• I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking (ISBN 1-58479-083-0, 2002)
• Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen (ISBN 1-58479-296-5, 2003)
• I'm Just Here for the Food: Kitchen User's Manual (ISBN 1-58479-298-1, 2003)
• I'm Just Here for the Food: Cook's Notes (ISBN 1-58479-299-X, 2003)
• I'm Just Here for More Food: Food × Mixing + Heat = Baking (ISBN 1-58479-341-4, 2004)
• I'm Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0 (ISBN 1-58479-559-X, 2006)
• Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run (ISBN 1-58479-681-2, 2008)
• Good Eats: The Early Years (ISBN 1-58479-795-9, 2009)
• Good Eats 2: The Middle Years (ISBN 1-58479-857-2, 2010)
• Good Eats 3: The Later Years (ISBN 1-58479-903-X, 2011)

Brown was also a contributor to the 2005 cookbook Food Network Favorites: Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs (ISBN 0696230216). He selected the nonprofit world hunger organization Heifer International to receive a portion of the royalties.

See also[link]

• Good Eats
• Harold McGee
• Iron Chef America

References[link]