Hummus
Hummus or houmous is a Levantine food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed
chickpeas blended with tahini,
olive oil,
lemon juice,
salt and
garlic. Today, it is popular throughout the Middle East (including Turkey), North Africa (including Morocco), and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe.
Serving methods
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. Outside the Middle East, it is sometimes served with tortilla chips or crackers.
Hummus ful 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.
Nutritional information
Hummus is high in iron and
vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and
vitamin B6. The chickpeas are 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. 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.
