Hummus

Hummus is one of the most popular and widely eaten food in the Middle Eastern countries, . Hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea which is the main ingredients of hummus.

The origin of hummus is controversial. The fact is that because hummus has been around for a long time and it has soo many variations, the exact origin has been lost over the centuries. Some sources say hummus is one of the oldest known food because there are resources which say chickpeas were consumed in the ancient Palestine and was one of the earliest crops in Mesopotamia, as well as a common food in the ancient Rome. Others speak of Saladin prepared first in the 12th century. (Saladin was a Kurdish Muslim who became the first sultan of Egypt and Syria.) The earliest written recipe dates to 13th century Egypt.

Hummus has many variations, tastes different everywhere. Some types have a strong lemon flavor, some have special garlic flavour or a spicy tone.

Hummus is served mostly as appetizer  with pita breads or fresh vegetables, makes a good alternative to dips.

Yesterday for my best friend, E.'s farewell I prepared hummus, broccoli cream with our favorite naan (Indian bread).

First of all I share the hummus' recipe for what I used BBC Good Food as the always reliable source.

Ingredients:
250 g chickpeas (dried or in can)
100 g tahini paste
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili powder (I used dried chili seeds)
3-4 tablespoon lemon juice
1,5 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
(+ about 2 dl cooking water)

Wash the chickpeas several times and soak them in clean water over a night. Leave enough water in the bowl because the chickpeas absorb most of the water and double their size. (You can use canned chickpeas as well then you save the soaking time.)

Next day put the chickpeas in a large saucepan and simmer for around 1 hour. (A useful tip: put some baking soda in the cooking water so it will cook sooner.) Cook until the grains are easily smashed when pressed with a fork. When it is ready, sieve the chickpea grains and keep the cooking water.

Put the chickpeas into a food processor or use a blender and grind them well with a little cooking water until smooth. Add tahini, salt, olive oil, lemon juice and chili powder and blend it again with the spices too. If it is needed you can add some more water to it to get the desired texture.

For serving drizzle it with some olive oil and warm pita breads.

Afiyet olsun!