Its official hummus is nearly loved by all Britons. Well, to be exact maybe 41% of Britons, who all have a pot of hummus in the fridge. I completely follow the crowd and couldn't be without my trusty pot - what on earth would I put in my sandwiches or on my jacket potato? As a nation we consume £60 million worth of this dip every year (I feel I have made a significant contribution to this target).
Hummus has a very long history. It is the Arabic word for chickpeas. "Chickpeas have been around for thousands of years in the Middle East," says Israeli-born chef Yotam Ottolenghi. Some scholars even claim an Old Testament passage indicates that Jews ate hummus in Biblical times. It is impossible to prove exactly where hummus was first made. "It's obviously somewhere in the eastern crescent around the Mediterranean – the area that includes Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Egypt," says Ottolenghi.
Britian's love with hummus is relatively new. It was only in the 1980s, when Waitrose first started to stock this chickpea-wonder-dip, and this was only then followed by the other British supermarkets in the 1990s.
So why do the British love hummus so much? The perceived health benefits are a key factor. "It's filling and sustaining but still has a healthy image, which is justified in many ways because chickpeas have lots of protein and tahini is a much better source of oil than many others. But in all honesty, I think it's mainly the flavour," says Ottolenghi.
I will be totally following this trend and eating some hummus this evening with my jacket potato (below). Can't wait!
Source: Guardian
Hummus has a very long history. It is the Arabic word for chickpeas. "Chickpeas have been around for thousands of years in the Middle East," says Israeli-born chef Yotam Ottolenghi. Some scholars even claim an Old Testament passage indicates that Jews ate hummus in Biblical times. It is impossible to prove exactly where hummus was first made. "It's obviously somewhere in the eastern crescent around the Mediterranean – the area that includes Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Egypt," says Ottolenghi.
Britian's love with hummus is relatively new. It was only in the 1980s, when Waitrose first started to stock this chickpea-wonder-dip, and this was only then followed by the other British supermarkets in the 1990s.
So why do the British love hummus so much? The perceived health benefits are a key factor. "It's filling and sustaining but still has a healthy image, which is justified in many ways because chickpeas have lots of protein and tahini is a much better source of oil than many others. But in all honesty, I think it's mainly the flavour," says Ottolenghi.
I will be totally following this trend and eating some hummus this evening with my jacket potato (below). Can't wait!
Source: Guardian
