I couldn't find any ready made stuff nor cans of chickpeas so came away with a packet of chickpea seeds, a couple of lemons, a bulb of garlic and some tahini, in liquid form! We shopped early, nine-ish. The majority of Arabs at this time of the year shop later in the day, to avoid the heat.
I began the hummus as soon as we got home; soaking, simmering, a little more simmering and yet more simmering. The darn things just wouldn't soften up! About six hours later . . . . . after a wrastle with the Moulinex food processor, (why can't they leave the information booklets with the machines?!) I eventually produced a bowl of hummus. Not my lovely red pepper version but hummus all the same.
Well, I wasn't feeling very well today and the rather bland bowl of paste was the straw that broke the poor old camel's back!
Then as I was about to go to bed I noticed Stephen, (poor lad said it was lovely), had looked hummus up on the internet. Beside all the history to it, I spotted a variation that I think I might try adding tomorrow.
Just in case you're interested:
Hummus Kasa, from a 13th century Arab cookbook called, 'Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada', substitutes vinegar for lemon juice, throws in extra herbs, not specified, and adds walnuts, almond and pistachios.
The famous Roman orator, Cicero, was named after an ancestor who had a wart on his nose, resembling a chickpea!
Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and when eaten with bread it serves as a complete protein.
Syrians in Canada's Arab diaspora prepare and consume hummus along with other dishes like falafel, kibbe and tabouleh, even among third and fourth-generation offspring of the original immigrants.
Palestines garnish with olive oil and 'nana'mint leaves, (must trace those!), paprika, parsley or cumin.'
A related popular dish in Jordan is laban ma"hummus (yogurt and chickpeas) which uses yogurt in the place of tahini and butter in the place of olive oil.
There are hummus-only shops in Israel called humusiot.
During the intifada, the Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule in the late 1980's, Jews would sneak in to risk their lives, sneak into the Muslim quarter just to have a vital, really genuine good humous.
That must say something about the appeal of this gorgeous dish.
Which one am I going to try? Firstly, the walnuts one, simply because we bought some today and then the laban one as Stephen loves this milky yogurt.
Anyone else dig this dish?!
Peace out peeps. xxx
Yum Yum
ReplyDeleteOh yes please! I do miss the middle eastern hummus- just cannot be replicated in N.America for some reason... perhaps it is the weather? I think perhaps the Syrians or Jordanians did it best... and if you do trace those nana mint leaves then you must pass some along (they make the very best tea!)
ReplyDeleteJennx