You’ll Never Buy Hummus Again!
We can’t agree on where it came from, how to spell it, how to pronounce it or how to make it but I think we’re all agreed it’s rather tasty!
Hummus (or Houmous) is one of the great zero-to-hero food stories. In 30 years it has gone from being the sole preserve of Eastern Mediterranean communities to a household staple in many countries around the world — here in the UK we now consume over ten thousand tonnes of the stuff every year with some supermarkets stocking more than twenty different varieties.
Hummus first appeared on the supermarket shelves back in the mid-1980’s courtesy of Waitrose. I certainly have no recollection of ever seeing it as a kid and frankly, I’m not sure I would have been that pleased had my mother presented me with a dollop of beige paste and a carrot stick.
The increase in tourism to the Eastern Med must have fuelled the growth in the UK market but why did it become so popular?
Dips became a thing and hummus was nicer than cream cheese and chive.
It was considered to be healthy.
It’s convenient — open lid, insert carrot/pitta/spoon/finger…
According to Google, it’s addictive. Well, it’s certainly moreish.
I love hummus too but while there are a couple of decent brands such as “The Little Herb Farm”, most supermarket offerings can’t hold a candle to a batch of the homemade variety. And trust me, it’s so simple to make.
Ingredients:
1 Can of Chickpeas
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tsp Salt
1 x Tsp Cumin
1 x Small Clove of Garlic
Juice of Half a Lemon
Method:
Drain Chickpeas reserving the liquid.
Add all ingredients to a blender except the reserved liquid.
Blitz.
Add the reserved liquid a tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Season to taste.
That’s it! Start dipping! I do think that making hummus from dried chickpeas is better but it’s just so much more hassle that I rarely bother. If you want to compare for yourself just try the above recipe using about 110g of dried chickpeas which need to be soaked overnight and then boiled for about half an hour (until tender) before blitzing. One thing I do love about this method is that the hummus is warm when it comes out of the blender and warm, fresh hummus is really quite yummy — try it!
Hummus is a great example of something that is incredibly simple to make and yet really delivers on flavour. It also delivers a good balance of carbs, protein, fat and fibre — all from healthy sources.
Nutritional Info on the Recipe Above:
Carbohydrate 62.0g; Fibre 17.7g; Protein 20.6g; Fat 42.5g; Kcal 690
Tahini is ground sesame seeds which together with the olive oil make hummus quite a rich dip. This should probably be kept in mind too as while I wouldn’t go as far as addictive, one scoop can easily lead to the disappearance of an entire tub.
Happy Dipping!
