Nick Wade

Nutritional information

Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C, and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6.[22] The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the chickpeas. Depending on the recipe, hummus carries varying amounts of monounsaturated fat.[23] Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets and like other combinations of grains and pulses, when eaten with bread it serves as a complete protein.

22 Bricklin, 1994, p. 115. (Bricklin, Mark (1994), Prevention Magazine's Nutrition Advisor: The Ultimate Guide to the Health-Boosting and Health-Harming Factors in Your Diet, Rodale, ISBN , )
23 Hummus NutritionData.com

 

A while ago I posted what's pretty much my favourite recipe for homemade hummus. Something about it truly is a joy, I think for me it's just making it so fresh, adding a tiny little bit of spice, and enjoying it with friends that is best. >> http://wadenick.posterous.com/i-have-a-thing-for-hummus

I always knew it was good stuff. Turns out it's healthy too. The above is a little summary I curated from Wikipedia

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.