Hummus: a food of conflict, or a food of peace?
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| Hummus Plate © Buzzworthy |
Okay, so for those, who maybe have never heard of hummus before and do not truly know what it is and how to serve it, here's a little guide. Hummus, or houmous, is a food dip or spread that is not only particularly tasty, but is also very easy to make. It includes sesame seeds (tahini paste), chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, salt and olive oil. There are various ways as to how to serve this delicious dip; here are a few of my favorite methods:
- Of course, as a dip: just make/buy a plate of hummus, add some veggies or crackers on the side and enjoy this delicious dish!
- As a dressing: by adding and mixing hummus into my favorite bowl of salad, yum!
- As a spread: whether it's bagel, or pita, or sandwich bread... just put some hummus on it, spread it, and get a kick out of it!
- And... grilled: yes, it does sound rather odd, but if you have not had a chance to try it yet, you are definitely missing out! Give it a shot and make yourself a grilled hummus sandwich!
Coming from an Arabic origin, a word “hummus” essentially means “chickpeas”. Although, its true that the origin of this dish to this day remains rather unknown, as it is widespread throughout the entire Middle East region; some of the countries, nevertheless, tend to simultaneously claim its authenticity. Solely for these reasons, the issue of the hummus beginnings could be already contemplated as a pretty interesting and quite fascinating topic. Moreover, bearing in mind my extreme, but rather healthy obsession with this tasty chickpea dip that not only keeps me full, but also satisfied, makes me want to research this matter more in depth so as to come up with a strong interpretation of the whole issue behind it. Thereupon, I have decided to interview three people from different backgrounds and upbringings in order to establish their view apropos of the hummus conflict.
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| Mr. Jean Sarkis Photo by Jean Sarkis |
The first person I had a pleasure of interviewing was Mr. Jean Sarkis (on the right). Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, he is now residing in Edison, New Jersey with his whole family and has a job position of a chef at Livingston Dining Hall. Unfortunately, because of the scheduling and time difficulties that would only prolong the interviewing process, it was hard for me to arrange a video interview and thence, I've decided to settle on a more traditional, dialog-based type of discussion. Thus, after introducing Mr. Sarkis to my research topic and, consequently, to the conflict befalling around hummus, I had a pleasure of asking him some very important questions concerning the aforementioned matter and was indeed surprised to hear some of the answers.
First of all, Mr. Sarkis was kind enough to open his discussion with a general overview of what Lebanese cuisine is and what it has to offer. Stating that the Lebanese way of cooking "is an ancient one and part of the Levantine cuisine thus, can be actually traced back thousands of years to Roman time," Mr. Sarkis continued by describing the main ingredients usually used when preparing a staple dish, "most often foods are grilled, baked or sautéed in olive oil; vegetables are often eaten raw, pickled or cooked; herbs and spices are used quite often and the freshness of ingredients is truly important." Moreover, he explained to me the tradition of a so-called mezze as "an array of small dishes placed before the guests creating an array of colors, flavors, textures and aromas," actually revealing that different spreads, including a much loved hummus are also included in this mezze plate.
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| A traditional Lebanese Mezze © Sailndream |
On that account, after hearing such a lovely prologue about the Lebanese cuisine, I've decide to ponder more in depth about Mr. Sarkis's perception and opinion apropos of hummus.
Ksenija Tihomirova: So, considering your Lebanese background, what in general you can tell me about hummus? Is it truly a big and common meal and what’s the culture like?
Mr. Jean Sarkis: Hummus is a Levantine Arab dip or spread that is made from chickpeas that have been cooked and mashed, then blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Today, it is popular throughout the Middle East (including Turkey), North Africa (including Morocco), and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe. It can even be found in most grocery stores in North America. As an appetizer and dip, hummus is scooped with flatbread, such as pita. It is also served as part of a mezze, or as an accompaniment to falafel, grilled chicken, fish or eggplant. Outside the Middle East, it is sometimes served with tortilla chips or crackers. Hummus is one of the most popular and best-known of Lebanese and Syrian dishes and a must on any mezze table.
Ksenija Tihomirova: That is such a great and profound answer, thank You so much! Now if You were to guess/assume, where would You say hummus did originate? Also, what is Your standpoint as to whether a nation can own a dish, or not?
Mr. Jean Sarkis: As a Lebanese, hummus is a centuries old dish that nobody owns, it belongs to the region, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt. But what it differs from each other are the flavors, the ingredients and the way of preparing it, hot or cold.
Ksenija Tihomirova: That's indeed a very engrossing, but at the same time truly harmonious approach to take, bearing in mind your Lebanese background and the on-going heated debate with the Lebanese claiming full ownership of hummus and Israelis denying that they have exclusive rights to this dish. Personally, what is your stance in regard to this argument? You think it is acceptable for Israelis to call hummus as their own dish?
Mr. Jean Sarkis: Hummus is surely a common part of everyday meals in Israel. A significant reason for the popularity of hummus in Israel is that it is made from ingredients that, following Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws), can be combined with both meat and dairy meals. However, as I mentioned above, I do believe that hummus is more of a common meal that belongs to the whole region more so than to a particular country.
Ksenija Tihomirova: That is totally understandable, I appreciate Your viewpoint! Lastly, as a chef, who is constantly working in a food industry, do You favor hummus? And if so, do You tend to make it quite often when You get a chance?
Mr. Jean Sarkis: Yes, hummus is a staple in our house, we make it all the time and is my favorite daily kind of mezze homemade. We have served it as an appetizer, as a side, and even as a full meal. Frequently when we are invited to a party at a friends house it's gotten to the point that we are expected to bring hummus and tabbouleh. I like it! At home, though, we usually make hummus as a side dish. Whatever dish it may be, hummus just seems like the perfect side. In addition, during lent we can usually be seen whipping up a batch of hummus on Fridays. There's no meat in hummus, so it's cool for Fridays in Lent (or for any Friday throughout the year!). So, yes, we have even had hummus as our meal. And we weren't disappointed either.
Ksenija Tihomirova: That's incredible how much of a place and significance hummus plays in your household. I was surely not surprised to hear that it could be frequently found on Your kitchen table as a side, or sometimes even as a main dish. I too love hummus quite intensively and share Your passion for it. Maybe one day I will get a chance to try Your hummus! Thank You for staying with me and for Your interview; it was truly a pleasure!
Mr. Jean Sarkis: Anytime, Ksenija, You are welcome!
Following the effects of such a successful to my mind conversation, I became even more curious as to the condition and image of hummus throughout the entire Middle Eastern region. And, as I was contemplating about why's and how's of the whole hummus problem, my good friend, Hanin Sukayri, happened to be around and was actually of a mind to clarify some of the speculations that were going through my gray matter at that point of time.
Coming from Jordan's capital city Amman, Hanin, just like myself, is also a student at Rutgers University. Pursuing her degree in communications and political science, she is immensely proud of her Arabic origin and was kind enough to agree to participate in this project. Whilst interviewing Hanin, I tried to raise rather similar questions as ones addressed to Mr. Jean Sarkis in order to see, if the outlooks of a Jordanian apropos of this matter would be sort of different to the one's of Lebanese. To my surprise, the produced dialogue between Hanin and I, as can be noticed in the below mentioned video, has turned out to be quite indistinguishable, for the answers I received on some of the key questions were pretty similar to Mr. Jean Sarkis's ones.
That, in turn, had me cogitate on the reality and truthfulness of the whole hummus issue in the Middle East. Having already interviewed two completely different and unacquainted people, both from the Middle Eastern origin, who also happened to have an exceptionally impartial and rather neutral attitude concerning the hummus dispute, made me realize that perhaps, it is not the masses disagreement that is causing this whole dilemma, but more so the global businesses and market industries one. For ones, look at the chart that describes quite effectively how since the year of 2006 and up until 2015 the hummus industry has risen. In particular, the Sabra brand, which, funny enough, is owned by the Israeli food manufacturer and holds a dollar market share of about 61% in the U.S. hummus category in 2015. Is it a coincidence that the most popular hummus brand sold in the United States is also possessed by and belongs to the Israelis?
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To answer that question, amongst many other, I have decided to turn to my other close friend- Lee Levy, and ponder about her views concerning the hummus culture. Similar to Hanin and I, Lee is likewise an international student at Rutgers University, in pursuance of a career in communications as well as Jewish studies. Coming from Haifa, Israel, she is thoroughly invested in her ethical background and is a frequent guest at the local Chabad house. Bearing in mind all of the above-mentioned qualities and characteristics of Lee, as something rather contrasting to my previous two interviewees, I was genuinely curious in trying to apprehend, whether the hummus customs in Israel are truthfully that much different to the ones in Arab countries; thinking that perchance, this could explain such an outburst of Sabra's popularity in the United States. Nevertheless, despite my pure curiosity as to the American's hasty obsession with hummus, I was furthermore rather inquisitive apropos of Israel's stance on the whole "hummus origin" debate and hence, asked Lee couple of questions concerning this topic. Oddly enough, but the expectations I held as to the majority of the questions asked weren't truly met the way I pictured they would. On the contrary, they rather surprised me with much honesty, recognition and acknowledgement relevant to the main key points challenged. Along these lines, when faced with the question of hummus' origin, Lee came about fairly respectable and certainly mindful of its deep roots, stating that Israel was receiving various hummus recipes from all over the Middle East, including the major Arab countries. Now lets turn to the video and take a look at what else she had to say about our beloved hummus!
Isn't it captivating, how hummus traditions in Israel are not in truth that much different to the ones in Arab countries? Regardless of where one is, be it Israel, Lebanon, or Jordan, people would still gather together in a restaurant, café, or simply at home and enjoy this delicious spread called hummus.
Accordingly, a question emerges, whether it is truly a dish of conflict and separation? I don't think so, at least not amongst the people... The market war, one would ask? It's quite possible, and in my mind is an actual case! But lets leave it to the big corporations to decide and instead, cluster together to savor this yummy, mouthwatering dip.
You would ask me who owns it then? I do, and so does everyone else who truly loves, eats and enjoys this heavenly delightful chickpea dip! So...
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| Keep Calm and Eat Hummus © LikeSuccess |
My name is Ksenija Tihomirova and I am an international student from Latvia at Rutgers State University- New Brunswick. Pursuing a degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice, with a Middle Eastern studies minor, I am scheduled to graduate with honors in May 2017. I am also a member of Rutgers Women's Tennis team, and in my free time I truly enjoy cooking, or reading an interesting book.
* All people interviewed for this assignment consented to their words and pictures being used *
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