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{{Short description|Middle Eastern chickpea puree dish}}
{{about|the food|the organic matter in soil|Humus|other uses}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox food
| name               = Hummus
| image              = File:Lebanese style hummus.jpg
| caption            = 
| alternate_name     = 
| country            = [[Middle East]]
| region             = [[Levant]] and [[Egypt]]
| course             = [[Meze]]
| served             = Room temperature or cold
| main_ingredient    = [[Chickpea]]s, [[tahini]]
}}
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'''Hummus''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ʊ|m|ə|s}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ʌ|m|ə|s}};<ref name="camb">{{cite news|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hummus?a=british|title=hummus Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary|website=dictionary.cambridge.org|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807153452/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hummus?a=british|archive-date=7 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Lexico">{{cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/hummus|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001220110/https://www.lexico.com/definition/hummus|archive-date=1 October 2020|title=Hummus {{!}} Definition of hummus by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Hummus|website=[[Lexico]]|access-date=20 January 2021|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> {{langx|ar|حُمُّص|ḥummuṣ|chickpeas}}, also spelled '''hommus''' or '''houmous'''), (full name: '''Hummus Bi Tahini''')<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shulman |first=Martha Rose |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GAjPxCUVS5UC&dq=Hummus+Bi+Tahini&pg=PA103 |title=Mediterranean Harvest: Vegetarian Recipes from the World's Healthiest Cuisine: A Cookbook |date=2010-06-08 |publisher=Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale |isbn=978-1-60529-619-7 |pages=103 |language=en}}</ref>  is a [[Levantine cuisine|Levantine]]<ref name="Nussbaum" /> [[Dip (food)|dip]], [[spread (food)|spread]], or savory [[Dish (food)|dish]] made from cooked, mashed [[chickpea]]s blended with [[tahini]], lemon juice, and garlic.<ref name="Davidson 2014">{{cite book|first1=Alan|last1=Davidson|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA172|publisher=OUP Oxford|date=21 August 2014|isbn=9780191040726|via=Google Books}}</ref> The standard garnish includes olive oil, a few whole chickpeas, parsley, and paprika.<ref>[[Claudia Roden]], ''A Book of Middle Eastern Food'', 1985, {{isbn|0394471814}}, p. 45–46</ref><ref>Sonia Uvezian, ''Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen'', 2001, {{isbn|9780970971685}}, p. 106–107</ref>

The earliest mention of hummus was in a [[13th century]] cookbook attributed to the historian [[Ibn al-Adim]] from [[Aleppo]] in present-day [[Syria]].<ref name="mag111"/>

Commonly consumed in [[Levantine cuisine]], it is usually eaten as a dip with [[pita bread]]. In the West, it is produced industrially and consumed as a snack or appetizer with crackers or vegetables.<ref name="Nussbaum">{{cite book |last1=Nussbaum |first1=Harriet |title=Hummus A Global History |date=11 November 2021 |publisher=Reaktion Books |page=42}}</ref>

==Etymology and spelling==
The word ''hummus'' is {{langx|ar|حُمُّص|ḥummuṣ}} '[[chickpeas]]'.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of hummus|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hummus|access-date=2021-01-08|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Lexico"/><ref>Maan Z. Madina, ''Arabic-English Dictionary of the Modern Literary Language'', 1973</ref> The full name of the prepared spread in Arabic is {{transliteration|ar|ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna}} 'chickpeas with tahini'.<ref>[[Claudia Roden]], ''The New Book of Middle Eastern Food'', 2008, {{isbn|0307558568}}, p. 68</ref> The colloquial Arabic word {{transliteration|ar|ḥummuṣ}} is a variant of the Arabic {{transliteration|ar|ḥimmaṣ}} or {{transliteration|ar|ḥimmiṣ}} which may be derived from the [[Aramaic]] language ({{lang|arc|חמצי|rtl=yes}} {{transliteration|arc|ḥemṣīn, ḥemṣāy}}<ref name="Nişanyan">{{cite web|access-date=2021-01-08|title=humus|url=https://nisanyansozluk.com/?k=humus2&lnk=1|website=Nişanyan Sözlük}}</ref>), corresponding to the [[Syriac language|Syriac]] word for chickpeas: {{transliteration|syc|ḥem(m)ṣē}}.<ref name="ahd">{{cite web|url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=hummus|title=American Heritage Dictionary Entry: hummus|website=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807153052/https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=hummus|archive-date=7 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The word entered the English language around the mid-20th century from the Arabic {{transliteration|ar|ḥummuṣ}} or via its [[Borrowing (linguistics)|borrowing]] for the name of the dish in {{langx|tr|humus}}.<ref>{{cite OED2|hummus}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Definition of hummus|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hummus|access-date=2021-01-03|website=[[Dictionary.com]]}}</ref>

Spelling of the word in English can be inconsistent, though most major dictionaries from American and British publishers give ''hummus'' as the primary spelling. Some American dictionaries give ''hommos'' as an alternative, while British dictionaries give ''houmous'' or ''hoummos''.<ref name=Peters>{{Citation|title=The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage|author=Pam Peters|year=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-87821-0|pages=370|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nV8h0gnU1UEC&q=hummus+arabic&pg=RA1-PA370}}</ref><ref name="Lexico"/><ref name="ahd" />

The major British supermarkets use ''houmous''.<ref name="AldiHoumous">{{Citation|title=Aldi Website Houmous entry|url=https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-the-deli-houmous-200g/4088600003429|access-date=7 November 2021|archive-date=7 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107102014/https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-the-deli-houmous-200g/4088600003429|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="LidlHoumous">{{Citation|title=LIDL Website Houmous entry|url=https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/chilled/meadow-fresh-houmous/p42171}}</ref><ref name="SainsburysHoumous">{{Citation|title=Sainsburys Website Houmous entry|url=https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-houmous-200g}}</ref><ref name="TescoHoumous">{{Citation|title=Tesco Website Houmous entry|url=https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255412675}}</ref><ref name="WaitroseHoumous">{{Citation|title=Waitrose Website Houmous entry|url=https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/essential-houmous/048783-24278-24279}}</ref>

Other spellings include ''homous'', ''houmos'', ''houmus'', and similar variants. While ''humus'' (as it is spelled in Turkish) is sometimes found, it is avoided as a [[Heteronym (linguistics)|heteronym]] of [[humus|humus, organic matter in soil]].<ref name=Peters/>

==Origin and history==
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.<ref name=spechler/> Its basic ingredients—[[chickpea]]s, [[sesame]], [[lemon]], and [[garlic]]—have been combined and eaten in [[Egypt]] and the [[Levant]] for centuries.<ref>Tannahill p. 25, 61</ref><ref>Brothwell & Brothwell ''passim''</ref> Though regional populations widely ate chickpeas, and often cooked them in stews and other hot dishes,<ref>''e.g.'' a "simple dish" of meat, pulses and spices [[Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi]] described in the 13th century, Tannahill p. 174</ref> puréed chickpeas eaten cold with tahini do not appear in records before the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] in Egypt and the Levant.<ref name='zaouali'/>

The earliest mention of Hummus comes from Syria, in a [[Kitab al-Wuslah ila l-habib|13th-century cookbook]] attributed to the [[Aleppo|Aleppine]] historian Ibn al-Adim.<ref name="mag111">{{Cite web |last=Shaheen |first=Kareem |date=2023-03-24 |title=The True Origins of Hummus |url=https://newlinesmag.com/newsletter/the-true-origins-of-hummus/ |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=New Lines Magazine |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mishan |first=Ligaya |date=2023-07-26 |title=This Hummus Holds Up After 800 Years |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/26/magazine/ancient-hummus-recipe.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Verde |first=Tom |date=2024-05-21 |title=Medieval Chefs Would Have Liked Dessert Hummus |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/medieval-hummus |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref> Other early written recipes for a dish resembling ''{{transliteration|ar|ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna}}'' are recorded in cookbooks written in [[Cairo]] in the 14th-century.<ref name="spechler">{{cite web | last=Spechler | first=Diana | title=Who invented hummus? | publisher=BBC | date=11 December 2017 | url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20171211-who-invented-hummus | access-date=14 January 2019}}</ref><ref>''Encyclopedia of Jewish Food'', John Wiley & Sons, 2010, By Gil Marks, page 270</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook: English Translation, with an Introduction and Glossary |date=2017-11-09 |work=Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-Century Egyptian Cookbook |url=https://brill.com/display/title/34975?language=en |access-date=2024-09-29 |publisher=Brill |language=en |isbn=978-90-04-34991-9}}</ref> A cold purée of chickpeas with vinegar and pickled lemons with herbs, spices, and oil, but no tahini or garlic, appears in the ''Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table'' ({{lang|ar|كنز الفوائد في تنويع الموائد|rtl=yes}});<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nasrallah |first1=Nawal |title=Treasure trove of benefits and variety at the table: a fourteenth-century Egyptian cookbook |date=2018 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden Boston |isbn=9789004349919 |page=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Treasure_Trove_of_Benefits_and_Variety_a/fIJ1DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=9789004349919&}}</ref><ref name='zaouali'>{{cite book |last1=Zaouali |first1=Lilia |last2=DeBevoise |first2=M. B. |last3=Zaouali |first3=Lilia |title=Medieval cuisine of the Islamic world: a concise history with 174 recipes |date=2009 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-0-520-26174-7}} translation of ''L'Islam a tavola'' (2004), p. 65</ref> and a purée of chickpeas and tahini called {{Lang|ar-latn|hummus kasa}} appears in [[Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi]]'s ''The Book of Dishes'':<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ibn-al-Karīm |first1=Muḥammad Ibn-al-Ḥasan |last2=Perry |first2=Charles |last3=ibn al-Karīm |first3=Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan |title=A Baghdad cookery book: the book of dishes (Kitāb al-ṭabīkh) |date=2005 |publisher=Prospect Books |location=Totnes |isbn=9781903018422}}</ref> it is based on puréed chickpeas and tahini, and [[acidulated water|acidulated with vinegar]] (not lemon), but it also contains many spices, herbs, and nuts, and no garlic. It is also served by rolling it out and letting it sit overnight.<ref>Perry ''et al.'', p. 383</ref>

==Regional preparations==
[[File:Hummuswithpinenuts.jpg|thumb|Hummus with pine nuts and olive oil]]
[[File:houmous.jpg|thumb|Hummus served in a bowl on a platter of [[pita|pita bread]]]]
As an [[appetizer]] and [[dip (food)|dip]], diners scoop hummus with [[flatbread]], such as [[pita]].<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120727-hunting-for-hummus-in-israel|title=Hunting for hummus in Israel|author=Raz, Dan Savery|publisher=BBC Travel|date=1 August 2015|access-date=7 February 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207113119/http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120727-hunting-for-hummus-in-israel|archive-date=7 February 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It is also served as part of a [[meze]] or as an accompaniment to [[falafel]], grilled chicken, fish, or [[eggplant]].<ref name=bbc/>

Hummus is a common dip in Egypt where it is eaten with [[pita]],<ref name="egypt">{{cite book |title=Egypt |first1=Robert |last1=Pateman |first2=Salwa |last2=El-Hamamsy |year=2003 |orig-year=1993 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish Benchmark |location=Tarrytown, N.Y. |isbn=978-0-7614-1670-8 |page=123 }}</ref> and frequently flavored with [[cumin]] or other spices.<ref name="bbc" /><ref name="egypt" /><ref>{{cite book |title=All about Party Foods & Drinks |first1=Irma S. |last1=Rombauer |author-link1=Irma S. Rombauer |first2=Marion Rombauer |last2=Becker |first3=Ethan |last3=Becker |author-link3=Ethan Becker |year=2002 |publisher=Scribner |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7432-1679-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/joyofcooking000romb/page/30 30] |url=https://archive.org/details/joyofcooking000romb/page/30}}</ref>

In the [[Levant]], hummus has long been a staple food, often served as a warm dish, with bread for breakfast, lunch or dinner. All of the ingredients in hummus are easily found in gardens, farms and markets, thus adding to the availability and popularity of the dish. Hummus is usually garnished with olive oil, [[Mentha spicata#Cultivation and uses|''"nana"'' mint]] leaves, paprika, and parsley.<ref>Ibrahim, Lailie, [[Institute for Middle East Understanding]], ''[http://imeu.net/news/article00925.shtml Hummus, a Palestinian staple] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201074430/http://imeu.net/news/article00925.shtml |date=1 December 2008 }}'', 31 March 2006. Retrieved 9 March 2008.</ref>

Hummus is a common part of everyday meals in Israel.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vered |first=Ronit |date=13 May 2017 |title=Why Are Israeli Jews Obsessed With Hummus?  |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/2017-05-13/ty-article/why-are-israeli-jews-obsessed-with-hummus/0000017f-f0cf-d223-a97f-fddf59b80000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626212817/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/2017-05-13/ty-article/why-are-israeli-jews-obsessed-with-hummus/0000017f-f0cf-d223-a97f-fddf59b80000 |archive-date=26 June 2022 |access-date=24 November 2024 |website=[[Haaretz]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> It is made from ingredients that, following [[Kashrut]] (Jewish dietary laws), [[Pareve|can be combined with both meat and dairy meals]]. Chickpea dishes have long been part of the [[Mizrahi Jewish cuisine|cuisine]] of Jews who lived in the [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa|Northern Africa]]. The many Mizrahi Jewish immigrants from these countries brought their own unique variations, such as hummus with fried eggplant and boiled eggs prepared by Iraqi Jews. Israeli versions use large amounts of tahini for a creamier texture.<ref name="MSSC">{{cite book|author= Michael Solomonov, Steven Cook|title=Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking|editor=Houghton Mifflin Harcour|page=42}}</ref>

One author calls hummus, "One of the most popular and best-known of all Syrian dishes" and a "must on any [[Meze|mezzeh]] table."<ref>Arto der Hartoiunian ''Vegetarian Dishes from the Middle East'', London 1983, p.33.</ref> Syrian and Lebanese in Canada's Arab [[diaspora]] prepare and consume hummus along with other dishes like falafel, [[kibbeh]] and [[tabbouleh]], even among the third- and fourth-generation offspring of the original immigrants.<ref name=Magocsi>{{Citation|title=Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples|author=Paul Robert Magocsi|author-link=Paul Robert Magocsi|year=1999|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=0-8020-2938-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbUuX0mnvQMC&q=falafel+history&pg=PA1244|pages=1244}}</ref>

In [[Cyprus]], hummus is part of the local cuisine in both [[Turkish Cypriots|Turkish Cypriot]] and [[Greek Cypriots|Greek Cypriot]] communities where it is called "humoi" ({{langx|el|χούμοι}}).<ref name=DELAC>{{cite web|title=Traditional food of Cyprus|url=http://www.delac.eu/stories/42?back=%2C2%2C|website=delac.eu|publisher=D.E.L.A.C.|access-date=30 November 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305140151/http://www.delac.eu/stories/42?back=,2,|archive-date=5 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=LIC>{{cite web|title=Cyprus foods, traditional dishes and recipes|url=https://sites.google.com/site/everythingtodoayianapa/cyprus-recipes|publisher=Life in Cyprus, a view from the inside|access-date=30 November 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208230708/https://sites.google.com/site/everythingtodoayianapa/cyprus-recipes|archive-date=8 December 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, hummus was popularized by Greek Cypriot caterers, sometimes leading to a perception of it being a Greek food.<ref>Sami Zubaida, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZDk-AQAAIAAJ&q=%22ubiquitous+homus+be-tehine%22 "National, Communal and Global Dimensions in Middle Eastern Food Cultures"] in [[Sami Zubaida]] and [[Richard Tapper]], ''A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East'', London and New York, 1994 and 2000, {{ISBN|1-86064-603-4}}, p. 35.</ref>

In Turkey, hummus is considered a [[meze]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nX4mV6STWVoC&q=hummus+is+a+turkish+meze&pg=PA104|title=Mediterranean Harvest: Vegetarian Recipes from the World's Healthiest Cuisine|last=Shulman|first=Martha Rose|date=2007-10-30|publisher=Rodale|isbn=9781594862342|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014234456/https://books.google.com/books?id=nX4mV6STWVoC&pg=PA104&lpg=PA104&dq=hummus+is+a+turkish+meze&source=bl&ots=Afvb2qGy5a&sig=EdDEIMinC1IgHhzeG2HZxEInlB4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiH5fSErPDWAhUGfxoKHSfNAfM4FBDoAQg8MAM#v=onepage&q=hummus%20is%20a%20turkish%20meze&f=false|archive-date=14 October 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In [[France]], in the region of [[Provence]], there is a dish called [[poichichade]] that resembles hummus.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colonna |first=Jill |date=2015-07-10 |title=Provençal Garlic Chickpea Spread (Poichichade) |url=https://www.madaboutmacarons.com/a-taste-of-provence-with-chickpea-spread/ |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Mad about Macarons |language=en-US}}</ref>

In the United States and Europe, hummus is commercially available in numerous traditional and non-traditional varieties, such as beet or chocolate.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2020-02-11|title=Sabra Is Finally Releasing Chocolate Hummus Just in Time for Valentine's Day|url=https://people.com/food/sabra-is-finally-releasing-chocolate-hummus-just-in-time-for-valentines-day/|website=PEOPLE.com}}</ref>

==Nutrition==
Chickpeas, the main ingredient of conventional hummus, have appreciable amounts of [[dietary fiber]], [[protein]], [[vitamin B6]], [[manganese]] and other nutrients.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4327/2|title=Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, canned per 100 grams|publisher=Nutritiondata.com from Conde Nast; republished from the [[USDA National Nutrient Database]], version SR-21|date=2014|access-date=12 May 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519011301/http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4327/2|archive-date=19 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

As hummus recipes vary, so does nutritional content, depending primarily on the relative proportions of chickpeas, [[tahini]], and water. Hummus provides roughly 170 [[calories]] for 100 grams, and is a good to excellent (more than 10% of the [[Daily Value]]) source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, and several [[dietary minerals]].<ref name="humcom">{{cite web|url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4407/2|title=Hummus, commercial per 100 grams|publisher=Nutritiondata.com from Conde Nast; republished from the [[USDA National Nutrient Database]], version SR-21|date=2014|access-date=12 May 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504224206/http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4407/2|archive-date=4 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="humhome">{{cite web|url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4403/2|title=Hummus, homemade per 100 grams|publisher=Nutritiondata.com from Conde Nast; republished from the [[USDA National Nutrient Database]], version SR-21|date=2014|access-date=12 May 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512120903/http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4403/2|archive-date=12 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Packaged product==

=== United Kingdom ===
In the 1980s, the supermarket [[Waitrose]] was the first British supermarket to stock hummus, spelled houmous.<ref name="AldiHoumous"/><ref name="LidlHoumous"/><ref name="SainsburysHoumous"/><ref name="TescoHoumous"/><ref name="WaitroseHoumous"/> Hummus was popularized in the UK by chefs such as [[Yotam Ottolenghi]], [[Claudia Roden]] and [[Anissa Helou]]. As of 2013, £60 million worth of hummus was sold in the UK each year, and one survey found that 41% of British respondents had hummus in their fridge, twice as many as the rest of Europe. A Waitrose spokesperson said it had become a grocery [[Staple food|staple]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Salter |first=Katy |date=2013-08-07 |title=The British love affair with hummus |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2013/aug/07/british-love-affair-with-hummus |access-date=2023-02-23 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

===United States===
In 2006, hummus was present in 12 percent of American households, rising to 17 percent by early 2009.<ref name="fox">[https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/theres-hummus-among-us There’s Hummus Among Us] {{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110901015410/http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2010/04/05/theres-hummus/ |date=1 September 2011 }} By Elena Ferretti, Fox News, April 5, 2010</ref> One commentator attributed the growth of hummus to America's embrace of ethnic and exotic foods.<ref name="fox"/>

While in 2006–08 when some 15 million Americans consumed hummus, and annual national sales were about $5 million, sales growth in 2016 was reflected by an estimated 25% of US households consuming hummus.<ref name=justin/> By 2016, the leading American hummus manufacturer, [[Sabra (company)|Sabra Dipping Company]], held a 62% market share for hummus sales in the United States, and was forecast to exceed $1 billion in sales in 2017.<ref name="justin">{{cite web|author1=Justin R. Silverman|title=Hummus's quest to conquer America, one mouth at a time|url=https://www.today.com/food/hummus-quest-conquer-america-one-mouth-time-t87156|publisher=Today|access-date=1 November 2017|date=20 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107010438/https://www.today.com/food/hummus-quest-conquer-america-one-mouth-time-t87156|archive-date=7 November 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="scott">{{cite news|author1=Scott Goodson|title=The Surprising Rise of Hummus in America|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-goodson/the-surprising-rise-of-hu_b_7520674.html|work=Huffington Post|access-date=1 November 2017|date=5 June 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929055853/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-goodson/the-surprising-rise-of-hu_b_7520674.html|archive-date=29 September 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="watson">{{cite web|author1=Elaine Watson|title=Sabra 'well on its way' to becoming our next $1bn brand, says PepsiCo|url=https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2016/09/29/Sabra-could-be-our-next-1bn-brand-says-PepsiCo|publisher=Foodnavigator-USA.com, William Reed Business Media|access-date=1 November 2017|date=29 September 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427211035/https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2016/09/29/Sabra-could-be-our-next-1bn-brand-says-PepsiCo|archive-date=27 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

To meet the rising consumer demand for hummus, American farmers increased their production of chickpeas four-fold since 2009, harvesting more than {{Convert|100000000|lb|tonne|abbr=off}} in 2015, an increase from {{Convert|25000000|lb|tonne|abbr=off}} in 2009.<ref name="justin" /> Hummus consumption has been so popular that many tobacco farmers have switched to growing chickpeas to meet demand.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/food/hummus-so-popular-tobacco-farmers-switch-chickpeas-6C9692848|title=Hummus is so popular, tobacco farmers switch to chickpeas|first=Michelle|last=Hainer|website=today.com|date=May 2013 |access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110174233/https://www.today.com/food/hummus-so-popular-tobacco-farmers-switch-chickpeas-6C9692848|archive-date=10 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==In culture==
{{see also|Politics of food in the Arab–Israeli conflict}}
Hummus is often seen as an unofficial "national dish" of Israel, reflecting its huge popularity and significance among the entire Israeli population,<ref name=bbc/> which Israel's critics describe as an [[Cultural appropriation|appropriation]] of Lebanese,<ref name="ariel">Ari Ariel, "The Hummus Wars", ''Gastronomica'' '''12''':1:34–42 (Spring 2012) {{doi|10.1525/GFC.2012.12.1.34}}</ref> Palestinian or Arab culture.<ref name="Mitnick 2007">{{cite news|access-date=2018-08-29|first=Joshua |last=Mitnick |title=Hummus brings Israelis, Palestinians to the table|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0725/p07s02-wome.html|newspaper=Christian Science Monitor|date=25 July 2007|issn=0882-7729}}</ref> According to Ofra Tene and Dafna Hirsch, the dispute over ownership of hummus exposes [[nationalism]] through food and the important role played by the industrialization of hummus made by Israeli private companies in 1958.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Atsuko Ichijo, Ronald Ranta|title=Food, National Identity and Nationalism: From Everyday to Global Politics|journal=National Identities |date=2022 |volume=24 |issue=1 |editor=Springer|page=123|doi=10.1080/14608944.2020.1864123 |bibcode=2022NatId..24...74T |url=https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/671412/2/Teughels_Nelleke_2021_Review_Food_National_Identity_RepoFile.doc |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>Hirsch D, Tene O. Hummus: The making of an Israeli culinary cult. Journal of Consumer Culture. 2013;13(1):25-45. doi:10.1177/1469540512474529</ref> Although hummus has traditionally been part of the [[cuisine of the Mizrahi Jews]] who lived in [[Arab world|Arabic-speaking lands]], the dish was also popularized among the Jewish immigrants from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century. Historian Dafna Hirsch describes its adoption in their diet as part of an attempt of blending in the Middle Eastern environment,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=HIRSCH |first=DAFNA |date=2011 |title="Hummus is best when it is fresh and made by Arabs": The gourmetization of hummus in Israel and the return of the repressed Arab |journal=American Ethnologist |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=617–630 |doi=10.1111/j.1548-1425.2011.01326.x |jstor=41410422 |issn=0094-0496|doi-access=free }}</ref> while sociologist Rafi Grosglick points out the importance of its health aspects to their diet.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ishita Banerjee-Dube|title=Cooking Cultures|editor=Cambridge University Press|page=51}}</ref> In recent years, through a process of gourmetization, the [[Arab identity]] of hummus became a marker of its authenticity, making famous [[Arab-Israeli]] villages such as [[Abu Gosh]] and [[Kafr Yasif]]. Hence, enthusiasts travel to the more remote Arab and [[Druze]] villages in the northern [[Galilee]] region for culinary experiences.<ref name=bbc/><ref>{{cite news|author=Yotam Ottolenghi|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jun/29/perfect-hummus-debate|title=The perfect hummus debate|newspaper=The Guardian|date=29 June 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226132545/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jun/29/perfect-hummus-debate|archive-date=26 December 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Marks 2010">{{cite book|first1=Gil|last1=Marks|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT845|publisher=HMH|date=17 November 2010|isbn=9780544186316|via=Google Books}}</ref>

In October 2008, the Association of Lebanese Industrialists petitioned the [[Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade]] to request protected status from the [[European Commission]] for hummus as a uniquely Lebanese food, similar to the [[Protected Geographical Status]] rights held over regional food items by various [[European Union]] countries.<ref>[[Zeina Karam|Karam, Zeina]], "[https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-10-07-lebanon-israel_N.htm Hummus war looms between Lebanon and Israel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715063153/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-10-07-lebanon-israel_N.htm |date=15 July 2012 }}", ''[[Associated Press]]'', 7 October 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/3178040/Hummus-food-fight-between-Lebanon-and-Israel.html |title=Hummus food fight between Lebanon and Israel |last=Wheeler |first=Carolynne |date=11 October 2008 |website=telegraph.co.uk |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218042219/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/3178040/Hummus-food-fight-between-Lebanon-and-Israel.html |archive-date=18 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
 |title=Whose hummus is it anyway?
 |date=November 9, 2008
 |work=The Times of South Africa
|url=http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Lifestyle/Article.aspx?id=877641
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120220004/http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Lifestyle/Article.aspx?id=877641
 |archive-date=20 November 2008
 |df=dmy-all
}}</ref> {{As of|2009}}, the Lebanese Industrialists Association was still "collecting documents and proof" to support its claim.<ref name=Score>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/wbna33461347 |title=Lebanese score in hummus war with Israel |work=[[NBC News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=24 October 2009 |access-date=20 August 2025 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The 2005 short film ''[[West Bank Story]]'' features a rivalry between two fictional restaurants, the Israeli "Kosher King" and the Palestinian "Hummus Hut". A [[parody]] of ''[[West Side Story]]'', the film won the 2006 [[Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Nirit|last=Anderman|access-date=2018-08-29|title=Musical Comedy on West Bank Wins Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film|url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.4807975|newspaper=Haaretz|date=26 February 2007}}</ref> In 2012, Australian filmmaker Trevor Graham released a documentary, ''Make Hummus Not War'', on the political and gastronomic aspects of hummus.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rutledge|first1=David|title=Make hummus not war|url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/make-hummus-not-war/6303316|access-date=29 November 2015|publisher=ABC Australia|date=11 March 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124184251/http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/make-hummus-not-war/6303316|archive-date=24 November 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Lebanon and Israel's chefs have been engaged in a competition over the largest dish of hummus, as validated by the [[Guinness World Record]], as a form of contestation of "ownership".<ref name="ariel"/> The "title" has gone back and forth between Israel (2008), Lebanon (2009), Israel (January 2010),<ref>"Israel takes Hummus World Record", ''Haaretz'' [https://www.haaretz.com/1.5083489 January 8, 2010]; see also [[Jawdat Ibrahim]]</ref> and, {{as of|2021|lc=y}}, Lebanon (May 2010).<ref name="ariel"/><ref name="big one">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/09/lebanon.hummus/index.html|title=Lebanon claims latest title in 'Hummus War'|work=CNN|date=9 May 2010|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422211325/http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/09/lebanon.hummus/index.html|archive-date=22 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/lebanon/lebanon-breaks-israel-s-hummus-world-record-1.624416|title=Lebanon breaks Israel's hummus world record|work=Gulf News, GN Media|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407055401/http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/lebanon/lebanon-breaks-israel-s-hummus-world-record-1.624416|archive-date=7 April 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The winning dish, cooked by 300 cooks in the village of al-Fanar, near [[Beirut]], weighed approximately {{Convert|10,450|kg|lb}}, more than double the weight of the Israeli-Arab previous record.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Abu Gosh mashes up world's largest hummus |newspaper=YNet |agency=AFP |date=8 January 2010 |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3830318,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114102819/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3830318,00.html |archive-date=14 January 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Abu_Ghosh_secures_Guinness_record_hummus_11-Jan-2010.htm |title=Abu Ghosh secures Guinness world record for largest dish of hummus |date=11 January 2010 |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |access-date=31 March 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306173820/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Abu_Ghosh_secures_Guinness_record_hummus_11-Jan-2010.htm |archive-date=6 March 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_The-largest-serving-of-hummus/BLOG/1713298/7691.html |title=The largest serving of hummus |author=Jack Brockbank |date=12 January 2010 |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=31 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405100437/http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_The-largest-serving-of-hummus/BLOG/1713298/7691.html |archive-date=5 April 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* {{annotated link|Bean dip}}
* [[Dip (food)#List of common dips|List of dips]]
* [[List of hors d'oeuvre]]
* [[List of legume dishes]]
* {{annotated link|Msabbaha}}
* [[Poichichade]] - Similar dish from France

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
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* {{Citation|title=Prevention Magazine's Nutrition Advisor: The Ultimate Guide to the Health-Boosting and Health-Harming Factors in Your Diet|first1=Mark|last1=Bricklin|publisher=Rodale|year=1994|isbn= 9780875962252}}
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* {{Citation|title=Medieval Arab Cookery|author-link1=Maxime Rodinson|first1=Maxime|last1=Rodinson|first2=Charles|last2=Perry|author-link2=Charles Perry (food writer)|publisher=Prospect Books (UK)|year=1998|isbn= 978-0907325918|author3=A. J. Arberry}}
* {{Citation|title=From the Lands of Figs and Olives: Over 300 Delicious and Unusual Recipes |year=1996|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=1-86064-038-9 |author=Habeeb Salloum |author2=James Peters}}
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* {{Citation|title=Beyond Hummus and Falafel: Social and Political Aspects of Palestinian Food in Israel|vauthors=Wesley D, Wesley E |editor=University of California Press|date= 2012|publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520262324}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wiktionary|hummus}}
* Anny Gaul, "Translating Hummus", ''Cooking with Gaul'', [https://cookingwithgaul.com/2019/10/21/translating-hummus/ October 21, 2019]. On hummus variants and authenticity.<!-- This is a blog by a scholar who works on food -- see https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=qBRY9qkAAAAJ&hl=en and http://annygaul.com/#/myresearch/ -->

{{legume dishes}}
{{Lebanese cuisine}}
{{Egyptian cuisine}}
{{cuisine of Israel}}
{{Turkish cuisine}}

[[Category:Hummus| ]]
[[Category:Appetizers]]
[[Category:Arab cuisine]]
[[Category:Chickpea dishes]]
[[Category:Dips (food)]]
[[Category:Egyptian cuisine]]
[[Category:Levantine cuisine]]
<!-- Levantine cuisine subsumes Cypriot, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian, (northern) Iraqi, and Israeli cuisines, so those categories should not be included separately per WP:CAT -->
[[Category:Mizrahi Jewish cuisine]]
[[Category:National dishes]]
[[Category:Spreads (food)]]
[[Category:Legume dishes]]
[[Category:Creamy dishes]]