Having spent few years in the Middle East, I've had many occasions to eat hummus.
Hummus is in fact a staple in the Middle East, where it is widely
and easily available: you can taste it in most restaurants and cafes (and not
only those serving middle eastern cuisine) or buy it fresh from supermarkets or have it delivered by take away / home delivery
joints.
Not all of the available options are equally good though: they may vary
from light, creamy and full of flavor, to decent, to heavy or too strong in
taste (too much garlic or oil or use of not high quality ingredients).
Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to taste a hummus made
by a middle eastern home-cook: I really would have liked to try a homemade
"family recipe"!
But hummus is actually very popular all across the world
now.
And the reason is pretty clear to me: it is absolutely delicious! Also it can be served and eaten in different ways and different occasions: it can be an appetizer served along with bread (preferably pita) or fresh vegetables like in any traditional mezze spread (the Middle Eastern set of appetizers), but it goes well on sandwiches, with roasted / steamed / boiled / sauteed vegetables, as a sauce for vegetarian (see falafel) and non vegetarian "meatballs" and more. And to be honest, I can't resist having plain spoonfuls of hummus directly from the bowl.
And the reason is pretty clear to me: it is absolutely delicious! Also it can be served and eaten in different ways and different occasions: it can be an appetizer served along with bread (preferably pita) or fresh vegetables like in any traditional mezze spread (the Middle Eastern set of appetizers), but it goes well on sandwiches, with roasted / steamed / boiled / sauteed vegetables, as a sauce for vegetarian (see falafel) and non vegetarian "meatballs" and more. And to be honest, I can't resist having plain spoonfuls of hummus directly from the bowl.
