Hummus At Abu Hassan

Hummus (, ; ar, حُمُّص, 'chickpeas'; full Arabic name: ''ḥummuṣ bi-ṭ-ṭaḥīna'' ar, حمص بالطحينة, 'chickpeas with tahini'), also spelled hommus or houmous, is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savory dish made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. The standard garnish in the Middle East includes olive oil, a few whole chickpeas, parsley, and paprika.

In Middle Eastern cuisine, it is usually eaten as a dip, with pita bread. In the West, it is now produced industrially, and is often served as a snack or appetizer with crackers.

Etymology and spelling

The word ''hummus'' comes from ar, حُمُّص‎, ḥummuṣ 'chickpeas'. The full name of the prepared spread in Arabic is 'chickpeas with tahini'. The colloquial Arabic word is a variant of the Arabic or which may be derived from the Aramaic language (), corresponding to the Syriac word for chickpeas: . The word entered the English language around the mid-20th century from the Arabic or via its borrowing for the name of the dish in tr, humus. Some claim that it was mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in the book of Ruth as ''hometz'', which can be derived from the word ''himtza'' for chickpeas.

Spelling of the word in English can be inconsistent, though most major dictionaries from American and British publishers give ''hummus'' as the primary spelling. Some American dictionaries give ''hommos'' as an alternative, while British dictionaries give ''houmous'' or ''hoummos''.

The major British supermarkets use ''houmous''.

Other spellings include ''homous'', ''houmos'', ''houmus'', and similar variants. While ''humus'' (as it is spelled in Turkish) is sometimes found, it is avoided as a heteronym of humus, organic matter in soil.

Origin and history

Although multiple different theories and claims of origins exist in various parts of the Middle East, evidence is insufficient to determine the precise location or time of the invention of hummus. Its basic ingredients—chickpeas, sesame, lemon, and garlic—have been combined and eaten in Egypt and the Levant for centuries. Though regional populations widely ate chickpeas, and often cooked them in stews and other hot dishes, puréed chickpeas eaten cold with tahini do not appear in records before the Abbasid period in Egypt and the Levant.

The earliest known written recipes for a dish resembling ''hummus bi tahina'' are recorded in cookbooks written in Cairo in the 13th century. A cold purée of chickpeas with vinegar and pickled lemons with herbs, spices, and oil, but no tahini or garlic, appears in the ''Kanz al-Fawa'id fi Tanwi' al-Mawa'id'';Lilia Zaouali, ''Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World'', University of California Press, 2007, , translation of ''L'Islam a tavola'' (2004), p. 65 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.

Regional preparations

As an appetizer and dip, diners scoop hummus 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.

Hummus is a popular dip in Egypt where it is eaten with pita, and frequently flavored with cumin