I’m always a little bemused when I see people buying tubs of hummus at the supermarket. It’s right there near the fancy cheeses, wedged between dolmas and tabouli. And, in case nobody was getting the point, there are generally racks of pita bread and lavash within arm’s reach. Basically, it’s the go-to party food, as well as an easy and convenient snack.

The thing is, I’ve been making hummus most of my life, and there just isn’t an easier dish to throw together. All you need is some canned chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Toss the lot in a food processor and grind it down into a mush. There. You have hummus, and at a fraction of the price you’d pay for those little tubs.

Hummus is such an ancient food that nobody knows who invented it. Chick peas have been cultivated throughout the Middle East and India for thousands of years. Egypt likes to claim credit, but so do the Greeks. Then again, since Greece was long subject to the Ottoman Empire, things get kind of fuzzy. What we do know is that the first recorded recipe comes from a 13th-century Egyptian cookbook, labeled “Hummus Bi Tahini.”

The dish is variously known as “houmous,” “humus,” “hommus,” or “hommos,” all of which basically means chick peas. The second major ingredient is tahini, made from roasted, ground sesame seeds. Sesame is also central to the cuisine of this area, dating back to time immemorial.

Just how seriously do these cultures take their hummus? As it turns out, very seriously indeed. For instance, back in 2008, the infamous “Hummus Wars” broke out when Lebanon accused Israel of cashing in on this particular aspect of what they believed to be their cultural legacy. The president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists was outraged that hummus was being marketed all over the world as an Israeli dish, and sued Israel for infringement of food copyright laws. They even went so far as to petition the European Union to recognize hummus as a Lebanese dish.

That’s when things started to get really ugly. In 2009, Fadi Abboud, Lebanese minister of tourism, determined that things would be settled by making a plate of hummus so large that it would be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. The resultiing dish weighed an astonishing 4,500 pounds. But the Israelis weren’t out of the game yet. Jawdat Ibrahim, owner of an Arab-Israeli restaurant in Abu Ghosh, Israel, served up a humungous 9,000 pound plate of hummus in a satellite dish. Was that the end of it? Not likely. The Lebanese retaliated with a plate weighing over 23,000 pounds. They have held the record since 2010.

For my own part, I like to keep preparation of this dish relatively simple. If you want to knock yourself out soaking and boiling dried chick peas, be my guest. I just generally open a can and move on from there. I’m not averse to adding a little roasted red pepper to the dish, however. Serve it up with some lavash and Kalamata olives, and you have a nosh suitable for a warm summer afternoon.

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HUMMUS BI TAHINI

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (do not drain), or about 2 cups drained, cooked chickpeas

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons tahini

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon), plus more as needed

1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Drain the chickpeas into a strainer, reserving the liquid from the can. If time and patience allow, pinch the skins from each of the chickpeas; this will make your hummus smoother.

Combine all ingredients in the food processor. Combine the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the blade attachment or blender.

Blend hummus until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Process the hummus continuously until it becomes very smooth, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to integrate any large chunks.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Taste and add more of any of the ingredients to taste. If your hummus is stiffer than you’d like, blend 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea liquid to thin it out and make the hummus creamier.

Transfer to a bowl and serve. Scrape the hummus into a bowl and serve with pita chips or raw vegetables.

Recipe adapted from https://www.thekitchn.com.

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