I'll admit it - I have a thing for hummus. And why not? It's real food, it's minimally processed, it's a recipe from the ages (and I reasonably assume therefore relatively healthful and wholesome) and well-made; it's taste and texture, aroma, and expectations are divine. In my opinion the best hummus is the one that you enjoy the most. So what do I enjoy? Home-made hummus, and here's the recipe (roughly) that I follow;
>> http://whatdidyoueat.typepad.com/what_did_you_eat/2008/04/best-hummus.html
Ok, it differs slightly in my copy of the Cooks Illustrated book, but you get the idea. There's a very creamy texture with a warm undercurrent of tahini, a zing from the fresh lemon, balanced by good extra virgin olive oil, and a slight spice from the cayenne, complicated handily by a little fresh cilantro. Delicious.
Give it a try, it really is just 5 minutes work (once you've skinned all the chickpeas) and it's joyful to behold when made freshly. Pita chips (home-made if I have the time) are my favourite accompaniment; what's yours?
BTW, the Wikipedia article has some interesting things to say on the history of hummus. Suffice to say that variants of hummus have likely been around for centuries...like a lot of minimally processed foods that aren't well linked to modern diseases and in my mind quite possibly exercise your digestive system in ways that we evolved to cope with, this one's on my "eat regularly" list.