# Can we talk about hummus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2019, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162 "2019-12-20T23:03:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/41 "2019-12-22T01:30:50Z")
I found the tahini! It was in the same aisle with the Asian and Mexican stuff. Bought me a jar, already have a couple cans of chickpeas in the pantry, and plenty of olive oil and garlic. I can’t wait to give it a try and see how it turns out! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/42 "2019-12-22T01:39:33Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I found the tahini! It was in the same aisle with the Asian and Mexican stuff. Bought me a jar, already have a couple cans of chickpeas in the pantry, and plenty of olive oil and garlic. I can’t wait to give it a try and see how it turns out! Don’t forget the lemon juice, salt, cumin Tahini is just ground sesame paste, in case it’s not obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/43 "2019-12-22T01:40:10Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I’ve been there for falafel and gyro sandwiches but I had never tried the hummus…until a few minutes ago. I just finished an order and I have to say, it’s pretty tasty! 😃 I haven’t been there in a long time. Now I want to go! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/44 "2019-12-22T01:48:27Z")
I usually make hummus rather than buy it because it’s so easy and I’m kind of cheap. Because I’m also kind of lazy, I make 3 cans’ worth of garbanzo beans at a time and freeze some of it for later. Haven’t noticed any deterioration in flavor. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/45 "2019-12-22T01:51:06Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > never been to Israel, but I love the stuff. What I get from restaurants around here (SE Michigan, lots of Lebanese, Syrian, etc.) is fairly smooth. I’ve made my own from scratch following this recipe: > > [The Best Smooth Hummus Recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/03/israeli-style-extra-smooth-hummus-recipe.html) > > It tasted great but I’d have cut back just a bit on the tahini, it was a bit too “thin” for my liking. only modification was I did the chickpeas in an instant pot. This is the recipe I use whenever we have company and everyone raves about it. I have a Vitamix that makes quick work of all the blending work. The first time I made it, I left the beans cooking unattended for too long, and the liquid cooked down a little too far; they were maybe 1/3 exposed. They took on this roasty flavor that I haven’t been able to replicate, even purposely cooking them a little “dry.” Still, best hummus I’ve ever had is from this recipe. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/46 "2019-12-22T02:07:20Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I found the tahini! It was in the same aisle with the Asian and Mexican stuff. Bought me a jar, already have a couple cans of chickpeas in the pantry, and plenty of olive oil and garlic. I can’t wait to give it a try and see how it turns out! Please come back and report on the results. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/47 "2019-12-22T04:39:35Z")
When we started eating hummus back in the early 1980s, we made our own. Now I just buy Abraham’s original style from the grocery, and most of it is eaten by the Ukulele Lady. Hmmmm…I could heat up some pita bread in the oven…brush olive oil on it…sprinkle on some za’atar… Excuse me for a little while. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2019, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/48 "2019-12-22T05:45:10Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Homemade hummus is very easy to make, especially if you use canned garbanzo beans (chick peas). Tahini can be hard to find, but **Skywatcher** reported upthread that cashew butter can be an acceptable substitute. A word of caution: use a good food processor. Blenders aren’t as strong and can be burned out. > > Don’t ask me how I know this. 😃 I was gonna say, it sounds like it would be a snap to make in the blender, but that stuff is like cement. I’ve tried chopping up the chickpeas into bits before putting in the blender, but yeah, food processor …though they’ve been making hummus long before food processors. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/50 "2019-12-23T17:00:11Z")
Have you had hummus like this in Israel? No, just the thick, pasty stuff, likely because I do not care for tahini. Do you like hummus? Yes I do - the pure stuff. Do you make your own from scratch? No. I like the Sabra brand just fine. Did you grow up with it? No How do you eat it? Straight up, as a dip/spread, as a sandwich filling? As a dip/spread for bread, and as a condiment on a shwarma wrap. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/51 "2019-12-30T19:03:17Z")
This month’s issue of _Cook’s Illustrated_ has a recipe for super smooth, creamy hummus. As I recall it’s similar to the hummus Chris Kimball made on his _Milk Street_ show not long ago. BTW, is it just me, or do Kimball and his old employer (ATK) seem to compete like this a lot? One of them will come up with an ethnic dish that they “bring to America”, or they concoct some new twist on an old recipe, then a few months later the other show/magazine does pretty much the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/52 "2019-12-30T19:18:51Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > This month’s issue of _Cook’s Illustrated_ has a recipe for super smooth, creamy hummus. As I recall it’s similar to the hummus Chris Kimball made on his _Milk Street_ show not long ago. > > BTW, is it just me, or do Kimball and his old employer (ATK) seem to compete like this a lot? One of them will come up with an ethnic dish that they “bring to America”, or they concoct some new twist on an old recipe, then a few months later the other show/magazine does pretty much the same thing. Yeah, they do. I know they didn’t part on good terms, but geez. When ATK had their 20th anniversary retrospective, Kimball wasn’t even mentioned. As though he never existed. When PBS shows Kimball’s promo for “Create TV,” he comments on all the cooking shows, but NOT ATK. Like divorced people who refuse to make eye contact at their kid’s wedding. :rolleyes: _Get over it!_ That said, I’ll definitely check out the recipe. Thanks. 🙂 Here’s the intro from the ATK website: > [@](#): > > This hummus is velvety-smooth and creamy, with a satisfyingly rich, balanced flavor. To achieve a perfectly smooth texture, we simmered canned chickpeas with water and baking soda for 20 minutes and then quickly removed their grainy skins by gently swishing them under a few changes of water. Tahini is a major source of richness and flavor in hummus. To avoid the bitter flavors that can come from tahini made with heavily roasted sesame seeds, we chose a light-colored tahini, which indicated that the seeds were only gently toasted. For balanced garlic flavor, we steeped the garlic in lemon juice and salt to extract its flavor and deactivate alliinase, the enzyme that gives this allium its harsh bite. Finally, we added ample fresh lemon juice to give the hummus a bright flavor. ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/53 "2019-12-30T20:37:36Z")
I saw that same episode of Milk Street and was annoyed at how his recipe was presented as the ONE TRUE HUMMUS. Gimme a break. Personally I don’t need my hummus to be any smoother than it already is; at a certain point, too smooth tastes like baby food to me. We made hummus from scratch over the holiday and it turned out really well, using just dried (rehydrated) chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper. I could’ve eaten it out of the bowl! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/54 "2019-12-31T00:06:22Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > I saw that same episode of Milk Street and was annoyed at how his recipe was presented as the ONE TRUE HUMMUS. Gimme a break. … He does pontificate. :rolleyes: When he was on ATK, interacting with people his own age, there was more of a balance–they could take him down a notch or laugh AT him (not WITH him). On Milk Street, working with younger people who actually seem a little afraid of and put off by him–there’s not the warmth and humor. His attempts to portray himself as a lovable curmudgeon fall flat. I do watch the show because some of the recipes are interesting, and basically I’ll watch just about any cooking show. Okay, I’m ready to make hummus. I don’t have a food processor. I have a Magic Bullet, an immersion blender, a Vitamix (in case I ever need to grind up some airplane parts), and a handheld mixer. I should be able to cope. People made hummus before food processors were invented, right (a little humor, folks)? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/55 "2019-12-31T00:25:03Z")
Have you had hummus like this in Israel? - Never been there, but ate plenty of hummus in Egypt. Do you like hummus? - Love it. Do you make your own from scratch? - Yes. Did you grow up with it? - Not exactly, but I’m pretty sure I was familiar with it by the time I graduated high school. How do you eat it? Straight up, as a dip/spread, as a sandwich filling? - Yes. Regarding removing the skins for a creamier result - there is a much faster method than individually shelling each one. Fill a large bowl or your sink with water and put in the cooked chickpeas. By the handful, rub them between your hands. The skins will come off and float. Skim off the skins and repeat until most of the skins are gone. I used to shell the chickpeas one by one, but that’s way too time-consuming. I’ll also use canned chickpeas if I’m in a rush. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/56 "2019-12-31T00:35:01Z")
I used to put the canned chickpeas in a big ceramic bowl and just whale away at them with a pastry cutter till they were the texture of rough cornmeal, and then put that in the blender or food processor, adding oil, tahini, whatever. But like so much other made-from-scratch things, the savings were not that great, easier to just buy commercially made (and that stuff probably tasted better). If you have a sh\*t load of raw materials or want to make something refined and exactly to your taste, try making your own. Myself, I love the red bell pepper, the pine nut, and the edamame (which is more expensive and tastes heavily of cilantro, BEWARE ). Sometimes I buy the plain and add my own seasonings. But I’m happy with Sabra! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/57 "2020-01-01T00:21:34Z")
♪ Let’s talk about hummus, please. Let’s talk of garbanzo beans. Let’s talk about all the spices and tahini we could eat. Let’s talk about hummus. ♪ ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/58 "2020-01-01T18:46:32Z")
I love hummus. I’d eat that stuff like ice cream if I could. I also like whole chickpeas on the salads. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162/59 "2020-01-01T19:17:24Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I also like whole chickpeas on the salads. This, definitely this. I’m not much of a salad fan (except for arugula…mmm, arugula) but add chickpeas to any salad and suddenly it’s delicious. Hmm, that reminds me I need to do that more often. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-hummus/845162.md?page=2)