A Comprehensive History of Hummus and Its True Origins

It is always said that food can unite people and it is true: nothing unites more than sitting around the table and sharing food. Yet, in some cases, the opposite is also true. A perfect example of this is hummus bil tahina, more generally known as hummus, the king of Middle Eastern cuisine now widespread throughout the world. The tasty cream based on chickpeas and tahini (sesame seed paste) is actually a point of contention that goes far beyond the kitchen.

From Palestinians to Egyptians, from Israelis to Greeks, everyone claims the paternity of hummus, which in reality has such ancient origins that it is lost in the folds of time. Everyone has a story to declare hummus as their own, a feud over chickpeas that even sparked a war.

What is Hummus, the Symbol of Vegan Cuisine

Today hummus is automatically associated with a healthy lifestyle and the increasingly widespread vegan culture, but the recipe is much more. Simple, but incredibly complex and multifaceted, hummus is a synthesis of Middle Eastern flavors: a thick sauce made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon, oil and salt, to be garnished to taste with spices such as paprika. It is the sharing dish par excellence, served at the table in a bowl from which everyone can draw, dipping a piece of pita bread or a falalel. Precisely for this reason hummus is a symbol of strong intimacy, the one that is created only between diners who share a plate.

Hummus' History: The Dish of Sharing that Led to Divisions

It seems absurd given its symbolic meaning of sharing, yet hummus is one of the dishes that has created the most division among Middle Eastern countries. The reason for the discord is its origin, geographically unclear and claimed by various peoples, despite the fact that today it is so widespread throughout the Middle Eastern area (and beyond) that it almost no longer has borders.

The Egyptians do not agree, in particular the author Lilia Zaouali who, in her book Medieval Cuisine in the Islamic World talks about recipes extremely similar to hummus written in Cairo in the 13th century. The Israelis have even entrusted their claim to the Hebrew Bible, in particular to the Book of Ruth where we read that reference is made to a dish which is precisely hummus. It is not surprising, therefore, that in Israel chickpea cream is a true institution, to which guides, restaurants, recipe books and fan clubs are dedicated. Two other nations claim the paternity of hummus including Greece, where it seems to have particularly caught Plato's attention, and Lebanon, which for this reason started a real gastronomic war with Israel.

The "Hummus War" Between Israel and Lebanon

The question of the paternity of hummus might seem, in this part of the world, to be a trivial issue, yet for the Middle East it is so serious that it has resulted in a sort of conflict, known as the hummus war.

It all started between 2006 and 2008, when an Israeli company was accused by Lebanon of cultural appropriation because it marketed hummus as an Israeli recipe. From here a challenge began with legal clashes, copyright, requests to the European Union for the recognition of the origin of hummus and world records.

One of the most singular challenges of the war was in fact when both countries tried to enter the Guinness World Record with the largest hummus: initially the record was won by Lebanon with a 2000kg hummus, then Israel responded the year after by preparing a 4000kg hummus, then Lebanon took back the title with a 10.452kg hummus (the country's surface area in square kilometers), which has never been equaled to this day.

To try to curb these gastronomic disagreements, World Hummus Day was established: it is celebrated on May 13th, and it has the aim of uniting all the people of the world, in particular those from the Middle East.

Hummus' Culture: How is it Eaten?

Beyond wars, controversies and claims of belonging, hummus is a symbol of the entire Middle East not only on a gastronomic level, but on a cultural level. And in fact hummus adapts to any moment of the day, and is mainly accompanied by the must of Middle Eastern cuisine: falafel, unleavened bread, injera, pita or lafa.

Moving around the Mediterranean basin, hummus varies just as culture varies: in Greece, for example, it is used as a dip to accompany raw vegetables.

However, given its immense diffusion, in addition to the original recipe, today there are dozens of recipes for preparing hummus in different ways, and for using it in the most varied ways, such as on a toast and sandwiches of cheese, as a sauce in chicken salads, as a filling for rolls or even as an ingredient for pasta.