Do You Love Hummus? Here are a Few Important Facts You Need to Know

Hummus, whether you are talking about an easy hummus recipe or more complicated recipes with hummus, is a Middle Eastern and Arabic 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.

Many cuisine-related sources describe hummus as an ancient food, or connect it to famous historical figures such as Saladin. Indeed, the basic ingredients for hummus spread are chickpeas, sesame, lemon, and garlic, have been eaten in the region for millennia.

But in fact, there is no specific evidence for this purported ancient history of hummus bi tahina. Though chickpeas were widely eaten in the region, and they were often cooked in stews and other hot dishes, pureed chickpeas eaten cold with tahini as hummus spreads do not actually appear before the Abbasid period in Egypt and the Levant.

Hummus, whether it is roasted garlic hummus dip or spicy hummus dip, 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 methionin. This does the job of 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.

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