Hummus Trivia | 40 facts about the popular dish

Hummus is a Middle Eastern dish, that is really popular around the world, and many people tend to prefer it due to its special taste.

So, let’s find out more about hummus!

1. Hummus  is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savory dish.
2. It is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.
3. The standard garnish in the Middle East includes olive oil, a few whole chickpeas, parsley, and paprika.
4. In Middle Eastern cuisine, it is usually eaten as a dip, with pita bread.
5. In the West, it is now produced industrially.
6. In the West is often served as a snack or appetizer with crackers.
7. The word hummus comes from Arabic.
8. The full name of the prepared spread in Arabic is ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna which means ‘chickpeas with tahini’.
9. The colloquial Arabic word ḥummuṣ is a variant of the Arabic ḥimmaṣ or ḥimmiṣ which may be derived from the Aramaic language, corresponding to the Syriac word for chickpeas: ḥem(m)ṣē.
10. The word entered the English language around the mid-20th century from the Arabic ḥummuṣ or via its borrowing for the name of the dish in Turkish: humus.
11. Spelling of the word in English can be inconsistent, though most major dictionaries from American and British publishers give hummus as the primary spelling.
12. Some American dictionaries give hommos as an alternative, while British dictionaries give houmous or hoummos.
13. Other spellings include homous, houmos, houmus, and similar variants.
14. Humus(as it is spelled in Turkish) is sometimes found, it is avoided as a heteronym of humus, organic matter in soil
15. Although multiple different theories and claims of origins exist in various parts of the Middle East, evidence is insufficient to determine the precise location or time of the invention of hummus.
16. Its basic ingredients are chickpeas, sesame, lemon, and garlic.
17. They have been combined and eaten in Egypt and the Levant over centuries.
18. Though regional populations widely ate chickpeas, and often cooked them in stews and other hot dishes, puréed chickpeas eaten cold with tahini do not appear before the Abbasid period in Egypt and the Levant.
19. The earliest known written recipes for a dish resembling hummus bi tahina are recorded in cookbooks written in Cairo in the 13th century.
20. A cold purée of chickpeas with vinegar and pickled lemons with herbs, spices, and oil, but no tahini or garlic, appears in the Kanz al-Fawa’id fi Tanwi’ al-Mawa’id, and a purée of chickpeas and tahini called hummus kasa appears in the Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada.
21. It is based on puréed chickpeas and tahini, and acidulated with vinegar (though not lemon), but it also contains many spices, herbs, and nuts, and no garlic.
22. It is also served by rolling it out and letting it sit overnight,which presumably gives it a very different texture from hummus bi tahina.
23. While hummus has about 5 times more calories than salsa, it has almost twice the amount of fiber
24. Although hummus doesn’t have as much healthy monounsaturated fat as guacamole, it does have approximately 2.4 grams more protein
25. Studies show that those who eat hummus tend to weigh less and have better regulated blood sugar than those who don’t.
26. Hummus eaters also have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.
27. A serving size of hummus is approximately 1-2 tablespoons.
28. The way of serving hummus throughout most of the Middle East is in a red clay plate with a raised edge
29. Lebanon holds the Guinness world record for the largest plate of hummus, weighing 10,452 kg (23,042 lbs.)
30. One cup of hummus has around 400 calories.
31. Hummus comes in many flavors, such as sweet potato, avocado, jalapeño, green chili, and thai coconut curry.
32. Hummus is… aphrodisiac!
33. A couple in Canada found an industrial-sized dumpster filled with hundreds of tubs of hummus that had not expired. They took humus home, and lived on it for eight weeks.
34. Hummus is high in iron, which can help boost energy and stamina.
35. Dizengoff restaurant in Philadelphia serves only hummus.
36. Hummus can aid with digestion
37. There are 3 types of chickpeas- one of the basic ingredient for every hummus recipe: Desi, Kabuli, Ceci Neri
38. India is the largest country – producer of chickpeas.
39. It is rich in vitamin B, it is recommended to mothers during pregnancy as Vitamin B can help prevent spina bifida.
40. Some studies have shown that it also helps to stay healthy during cancer treatment.