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However, across NYC, the country and the internet, you will find supposed “falafel” with flour or bread crumbs even though it is not a traditional ingredient. You will see no mention of flour and bread crumbs in the Wikipedia entry of falafel. And if you see the effect of flour/bread crumbs on falafel, it is obvious that this ancient recipe was fine as it was.

Looking at the recent addition of ingredients with gluten in falafel, it is as if someone had it in for the gluten-free community. It is hard enough for people who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity to eat out. Falafel (without the pita) would seem like one of the few popular foods that people with gluten intolerance could rely on. Instead, people with a gluten-free diet cannot trust food trucks and must ask questions to see if the falafel served is real falafel. Most times, it is not even worth the risk. NYC falafel is truly under attack from impostors.

As mentioned in our garlic aioli article, there is a disturbing trend of adding ingredients to replace know-how and care in preparation. In the process, they do not produce the bona-fide product, but an imitation, like mock duck. So restaurants/food trucks, large and small, are taking on the McDonald’s strategy of food manipulation over quality ingredients and preparation. In the case of falafel, it is even more troubling as unlike aioli where a mistake can result in a total disaster, perfecting falafel is a straightforward process of experience and experimentation. And this particular shortcut adds a food product that many cannot eat.

Don’t be fooled. As you look over the internet, you’ll see recipe after recipe that puts flour and bread crumbs. These are shortcuts and handicap the end product. Meze Grill is dedicated to not using unnecessary additives like wheat products to replicate a texture or taste in food that should actually come from careful and knowledgeable preparation. We equally believe that the gluten free community’s food choices should not be limited by declining quality standards.

All Photos are Creative Commons from Flickr

NYC vegans and vegetarians are passionate about falafel. It is no coincidence that it is one of the most popular on-the-go foods. Falafel can be so good that it makes vegans/vegetarians laugh at meat-eaters. Falafels, with ground chickpeas and spices then deep fried, have the dense savory taste that people normally associate with meat, but it is whole lot healthier. I can think up 5 reasons off-hand on why falafel appeals to vegetarians/vegans love of healthy food.

Let’s go through why falafel is good for you:

1. Proteins

Falafel, especially falafel made with chickpeas, has a lot of protein. Protein provides the amino acids that are one of the key building blocks of the body. Amino acids are used to build very complex and essential molecules. Vegetarians & vegans know that you need this type of food to build the muscle to climb the 3 floors to your walk-up apartment.  Our health depends on a steady supply of proteins and chickpeas are a legume especially rich in proteins of many different amino acids.

2. Right Fats Over Wrong Fats

Falafel is deep-fried. But falafel mostly has unsaturated fat from canola oil (or similar oils), which has shown to be not nearly as unhealthy as saturated fat. And falafel has no trans-fat, a fat type which should be completely avoided.   Because of the competition with saturated fat in the body, some studies have even suggested that unsaturated fats are beneficial because they inhibit the harmful effects of saturated fats. This is good news if you plan on sunning on the Great Lawn in Central Park when spring and summer come along.

3. Fiber

Dietary fiber helps maintain a healthy digestive system.  It keeps the body regular. Unlike meats that can linger, falafel contributes to correct digestive function. Also, the fiber with the unsaturated fat fills you up so you don’t eat too many calories. Add to that some veggies like lettuce and tomato, and you have done your digestive system a favor.

4. Vitamins & Minerals

Falafel has a good mix of vitamins and minerals for some.  A big falafel serving will give you 20% of your recommended intake of many important minerals and vitamins. Falafel is especially mineral rich, including hard-to-get minerals like Magnesium, Phosphorus, Manganese and Zinc. It also has Riboflavin and Folate. This is without considering all the good stuff you get from your fillings.

5. No Sugar

We are finding out more and more how simple sugars are a culprit in bad health. Falafel has complex carbohydrates but it won’t send your blood sugar through the roof (thanks to the fiber which slows down digestion), especially with a whole wheat pita. Most vegans/vegetarians are not a diabetes risk, but some of us have a sweet tooth and a little less unnecessary sugar is a good thing. If you exercise regularly, the complex carbohydrates can give you the boost to get the most out of your workout and give you a strong rebound so you don’t feel too much fatigue.

New York City is the capital of falafel for the Western Hemisphere. It gives a vegan/vegetarian options in the most hostile food environments (eating out and eating fast).  Even meat-eaters sometimes choose falafel over other dishes. Meze Grill is happy to serve some of the most delicious, homemade falafel to our vegan/vegetarian friends. . . .as well as everyone else!  If you haven’t had one lately, come try us out!

Creative Commons Photo from Flickr

Getting to the Bottom of Tahini

Have you ever purchased a large jar of tahini and noticed that the sesame oil had separated from the paste? It is not uncommon. It happens pretty quickly if your tahini sits too long, and it inevitably happens in the pantry. So, what do you?

Most people are smart enough to mix the sesame oil with the sesame paste when they separate. Mixing the ingredients together takes a little bit of muscle. So the tendency is to neglect the bottom. However, the flavor settles to the bottom too. Even though the paste part of the jar may look like it’s the same consistency, you will not get the full flavor varies if it hasn’t been mixed completely.

The mixing may take some elbow grease. Some opt for a food processor while some just flip the jar and let the oil loosen the paste before mixing. Just remember to take the 10 minutes or so extra needed to get the tahini right before using it.

Some avoid the bottom because of the increased bitterness. That is a mistake unless you are eating the tahini by itself. This type of bitterness is not the same after adding it with other ingredients. For example, if you are making hummus, the strong taste of tahini does not overwhelm the other ingredients but integrates perfectly.

No More Globby Tabouleh

The fresher the tabouleh the better. It is something that really suffers if you eat it as leftovers. All the flavors and texture disappear into a boring mush. So tabouleh should be made the same day you eat it.

A frequent mistake is in the preparation of the parsley. After washing and mincing the parsley, you should make sure to thoroughly dry the parsley after mincing it. If the parsley is too moist, the tabouleh becomes globby.

Only after some of the moisture is absorbed do you bring the lemon juice, diced tomatoes, finely diced onions, olive oil, mint, fine bulgur wheat and parsley together. It will be worth the extra effort and wait.

Fresh, Fresh, Fresh

Freshness is a must for Eastern Mediterranean cooking. If you can get your hands on the fresh herbs or seasoning, you probably shouldn’t be using a dried powder. This love of freshness in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East even follows the meal. For example, the Lebanese rarely eat leftovers. Eastern Mediterranean cuisine has traditionally been prepared daily. Consequently, these foods don’t hold up well for days after preparation.

So, assume that a recipe needs fresh ingredients if it does not list dried powders. If possible, you should use fresh garlic and ginger. Fresh parsley, thyme and mint should be bought from the produce section when you are going for true Mediterranean food and not the spice aisle.

By putting a little extra into the ingredients, the quality of your final product will provide you with the tools to really learn how to prepare marvelous Mediterranean food. And remember, lemon juice comes from lemons, NOT plastic bottles. We can’t wait to hear your results.

Creative Commons Photos from Flickr

Despite its revered status, olive oil is the most misunderstood oil that is found in the average kitchen. The average person goes into a supermarket and encounters terms like Extra Virgin, Organic, Cold-Press, Certified and Refined. And…more times than not, the customer doesn’t know what those terms actually mean. We read the labels and pretend like we are making an informed choice. This choice affects both the taste and aroma; and if you benefit from the unique health attributes of olive oil.

We, as consumers, aren’t clueless. By checking the prices, it is easy to conclude that Extra Virgin is the highest quality. That is true, but it is by no means the end of the story. There are other terms that are helpful in making a smart choice. We hope the following answers make you more confident about choosing the right olive oil:

• What do the terms “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” and “Virgin Olive Oil” mean?
• What are the differences in taste and flavor?
• Why are olive oils differing colors?
• What technical attributes determine olive oil quality and classification?
• What does Cold-Press mean?
• Who enforces these standards?
• Why does the color vary?
• What does the Organic label mean?

What do the terms Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Virgin Olive Oil mean?

These terms describe the quality of the olive oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil should meet certain international standards, which the USDA has recently adopted. Virgin Olive Oil has its own standards too. Lower down the ladder is plain Olive Oil, which is a mix of both Virgin Olive oil and refined olive oil. As we get more specific, we will try to explain in more detail what the terms mean.

Quality in Flavor & Aroma

First off, Extra Virgin Olive Oil does not have any defects in taste or aroma. This type of oil is expected to be free of musty, fusty, winey-vinegary, muddy-sediment, and rancid attributes. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is supposed to have either a taste or aroma that can be described as olive, apple, green, sweet, grass, nutty and tomato (some of the positive attributes the USDA mentions ). An olive oil which is free of defects and possesses one or more positive, fruity attributes is considered by the USDA as excellent.

Virgin Olive Oil does not have to be perfect. It can have at most two defects. Still it must have a positive (or fruity) attribute. Plain Olive Oil and Refined Olive Oil do not have quality standards.

Olive Oil Color

Extra Virgin and Virgin Olive Oil are for the most part greener than regular Olive Oil and Refined Olive Oil, which is usually light yellow. However, Extra Virgin and Virgin Olive Oil can have a golden color too. The reason for the differences in color will be discussed below.

What does free fatty acid percentage say about olive oil?

(technical info)

This is one way to test the quality of the olives and the processing of the oil. The chemistry of Olive Oil is unique and that is why it is normally associated with being a very “healthy” cooking oil. It is made up of more than 50% monounsaturated fats ( which are much healthier than saturated and trans fats).

Normally, the fats in olive oils are grouped together in 3’s called triglycerides. With an inferior olive oil, the oil has a significant percentage of free fatty acids, meaning that the oil has started to breakdown and is not bonded together as a triglyceride. This is a telltale sign of fruit fly infestation, extraction delays, damaged fruit, fungal diseases, prolonged contact between oil/vegetation water and careless extraction methods. It is the easiest way to assess quality and there are standards for different grades of olive oil.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil cannot have more than 0.8 % free fatty acids. Virgin Olive Oil cannot have more than 2% free fatty acids. Counter-intuitively, Olive Oil and Refined Olive Oil cannot have more than 1% and 0.3% free fatty acids, respectively. The reason for that is because the removal of free fatty acids is part of the refining process.

There are a few other standards which are very technical. But those three above are the ones that have the biggest influence on the labeling.

What does Cold-Press mean?

Cold-Press or first press olive oil comes from the days when most olive oil was made in vertical presses. The first press was done without the assistance of excess heat and was of the highest quality. To extract more oil, hot water or steam was used to extract more oil (but lower quality). Now most olive oil is processed at room temperature (olives are harvested in winter) and involves centrifuges. Cold-Press still refers to olive oil extraction that isn’t above 81 degrees Fahrenheit.

Who enforces these standards?

Olive Oil standards are under-enforced throughout the world. For example, some olive oils that are made in Italy can be a combination of olive oil from many other countries with only a fraction of Italian olive oil. Even worse, some large producers of olive oil mix olive oil with other vegetable oils and call it extra virgin olive oil. This can be very hard to test for, and normally only a professional taster can detect the fakes.

The USDA, however, does certify producers that are willing to pay the agency to inspect their farms and facilities. You will see a certification on the bottle if they do get Certified by the USDA but few actually do. The only real enforcement comes from fraud cases that have been mostly unsuccessful in completely ridding the industry of this practice.

The key is to have a trusted producer. Extravirginity.com is a good place to start in seeking fine olive oil.

Why does the color vary?

The color varies based on when the olive was harvested and the amount of chlorophyll that ends up in the oil. The greener olive oils are composed of unripe olives, while golden ones use ripe olives, but neither is necessarily better. The green olives give an olive oil a slight bitter taste, sometimes compared to peppers. They also have a strong aroma. On the other side of the spectrum, yellow olive oils are made from ripe olives (which are black) and produce a milder, buttery taste. The green emerald olive oil is the traditional style of Italy, while Spanish olive oil is golden and has a milder flavor and aroma.

What does the Organic label mean?

With Organic Olive Oil, the growers don’t use pesticides, herbicides or fungicides to guard their crop from threats such as flies and fungus. This is better for the environment, and may be better for the consumer of the olive oil. USDA Certified Organic Olive Oil is olive oil where the grower proves to the Department of Agriculture that they have not used any chemicals on their crops.

Olive oil is one of the healthiest, if not the healthiest, cooking oils you’ll find. And unlike other cooking oils, it has a distinct, enriching taste. Today, there are olive oil tasting bars across the world, just like wine bars. At Meze Grill, we take pride in using Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the preparation of our food, as we believe it continues to add great flavor and a healthy twist to our food. We welcome you to share any comments or questions with us below.

Photos from Flickr – Creative Commons

There is little room for error when one makes true Lebanese Garlic Aioli (also know as “Toum”) . Unlike European aioli, it traditionally has only 4 ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt). Counter-intuitively, having just 4 ingredients increases the difficulty in achieving its signature creamy texture. That is because emulsifying olive oil and lemon juice with the garlic takes patience and expertise. However, it’s worth the effort, as a fantastic aioli free of mayo, mashed potatoes, corn starch, eggs, has a punch that makes it the perfect garlic dipping sauce.

The Original Garlic Aioli and America’s Garlic Aioli

Shortcuts are frequently used in the West that disregard the essence of Lebanese Toum. Vegetable or canola oil is sometimes used instead of olive oil. Even worse, many restaurants that are supposed to have mastered making aioli add mayo, corn starch, mashed potatoes or even eggs because they cannot get the right consistency. None of those ingredients make their way into traditional Toum and would earn a disapproving look in the kitchens of Beirut.

In Lebanon, it is a point of pride to make a perfect Toum. Before food processors and blenders, it was made with a mortar and pestle. At that time, cooks needed not only a deft touch in adding the olive oil and lemon juice at the right time, but they also needed tremendous arm strength to get the garlic down to a paste. It was a labor of love. But if you have ever tasted a superior Garlic Aioli, you realize that no other garlic-based preparation can compete with it.

Only Olive Oil

Despite the information you may find across the web, Toum is made with olive oil, even though it presents additional challenges that you will not encounter with canola oil. The Lebanese had little access to any other kind of oil, so despite the difficulty, olive oil is in the recipes that mothers have been passing down generation to generation.

We live in an age of shortcuts. In the case of Toum, it is food processors, blenders, additives and ingredient replacement. It is good to know that the Toum that defines the Eastern Mediterranean has defied these ‘improvements.’ Nothing has made it considerably easier. Don’t plan on making a true Lebanese Toum (with just olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt) with an Internet recipe, because every great Lebanese Toum has many failed attempts before it. But if you were to line up the real thing against the ones with shortcuts, it is obvious that it is worth the hard work. And after you learn through trial and error, the achievement will make the Garlic Aioli / Toum taste even better.

Nothing but the Real Thing

Meze Grill’s Garlic Aioli / Toum is the real thing in a sea of fakes. We make it from olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt—that’s it. You’d be surprised how many NYC restaurants have not taken the time to create a dipping sauce that would be accepted in the streets of Beirut. Many restaurants don’t even admit this until pressed with claims of allergies. We believe our customers shouldn’t taste secondhand flavors, so we didn’t settle until we made a Toum that is worthy of its name.

Photos from Flickr

You may think of this as extreme. But the modern diet is wreaking havoc on our bodies in ways that was unheard of before the advent of civilization. Americans are dying of heart disease and diabetes (even cancer) in numbers our far ancestors could not imagine. Accordingly, these diseases are called ‘diseases of civilization’ and are draining our resources and taking our lives. The main villain is what we eat.

In response to the rise of processed, unhealthy foods and the health consequences that come with them, many people have chosen the Paleo diet, turning the clock back to eating the same types of foods we consumed as hunter-gatherers. Many swear by this diet as often the benefits are astounding, both in concern to energy, health and weight.

Debunking Myths about Paleo Diet

It does not mean disappearing into the woods and hunting with a bow and arrow. Instead, the Paleo concentrates on the food you eat (you can still cook food unlike the Raw Food diet). It tries to replicate the original human diet.

Although there is some disagreement what the Paleolithic diet consisted of, most include a plenitude of fruits, vegetables, roots, nuts, fish and lean meats. Equally important, carbohydrates are minimized as grain is excluded from the diet. Salt is reduced to a small fraction of what the average American eats, returning the body to a healthy potassium to sodium ratio. Even legumes (beans, soy, etc.) are sometimes left out.

Reason For Paleo Diet Over Other Healthy Diets

For proponents, the reason that the Paleolithic diet is healthy is simple. We are nearly the same genetically as we were 10,000 years ago when the first farming and animal domestication started. Our bodies were in much better shape, and we rarely died from the food we ate. The different diet we now eat is likely the main culprit of many of our biggest health problems. These ‘diseases of civilization’ existed even when a farmer did as much labor, if not more labor, than a hunter-gather.

Their culture is antithetical to our own. Paleolithic men and women lived off the land and were often forced into being nomadic. They foraged for wild fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts and hunted game. They also scavenged. The food was cooked on a fire when necessary and if it was processed at all, it was done very crudely. This kind of simple operation is the exact opposite of the production of foods found in our supermarkets.

Successful in Scientific Health Studies

There is no one agreed upon Paleolithic diet nor is there one Paleolithic diet for all hunter-gatherers. Arctic communities relied on animal sources almost exclusively, because of the scarcity of plants. However, most of the evidence points to nearly all hunter-gathers eating more plant-based foods in more hospitable climates. Generally speaking, the experts believe that the Paleo community has somewhat overemphasized meat/fish consumption. That is important when considering the scientific support for the Paleo diet. Yet, most scientific studies that have shown the value of the Paleo diet have these properties (this compared to the average American diet).

Paleolithic Diet Tested by Scientific Community

• High vegetable intake
• High fruit intake
• Higher nut intake
• Higher meat consumption (lean or grass-fed meat)
• Higher fish consumption
• Moderate egg intake
• Moderate legumes and potato consumption
• Little oil
• Almost no grains
• Very little dairy

Although the results are preliminary for the effectiveness of the Paleo diet, in one study, the Paleo diet outdid the Mediterranean diet in restoring the blood levels of people with heart disease to safe levels. It has also shown promise as a treatment for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Perspective on Paleo Diet

We have made such advances in medicine to limit the lethality of infections and injuries that did in the average human being before the modern age. However, in spite of this, we do ourselves in with the foods we eat, even though most Americans can choose healthy foods. The Paleo diet is about taking back control with a formula that wasn’t cooked up in a lab (no microwave dinners), but proven by the resilience of our species.

Although we cannot recommend any diet to our customers (that’s your doctor’s responsibility), Meze Grill caters to the dietary needs of the Paleo diet along with many other diets. We give you the choice and flexibility that makes it easy to keep your Paleo diet on the go.

Here are two studies that showed the promise of the Paleo Diet:
Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study

A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease

Why Sumatran Coffee?

Sumatra has its own coffee tradition, separate from much of the coffee produced in Java, other areas of Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. Coffee from Sumatra is special in the way that the coffee cherry is turned into a bean. Bucking the production methods of the coffee industry, small growers process Sumatran Arabica coffee in a way called wet hulling. Rather than using the large-scale factory set-ups, as you see with regular wet or dry processing, these growers rely on a simple pulping machine, which is normally shared amongst a community of small-scale farmers.

Wet hulling does not use chemicals to remove the mucilage fully immediately, as other techniques do. The pulping machine just removes the outer skin. Then the growers bag them and let them ferment for a day before washing away the mucilage leaving just the bean. After that, the coffee is partially dried and sold. This process from affects the coffee’s flavor considerably.

Out-Of-This-World Taste

The final product has low acidity with increased body. This is how Sumatran coffee gets its earthy, almost pungent taste. Often, wet-hulled coffee is

 described as having a slightly funky profile. The appearance of the beans is also unusual as they are greener and after roasting, they are lighter in color.  Wet-hulled coffee gets the best of the both the wet and dry coffee processing, being fruity and earthy simultaneously. You could say it does the impossible.  This special flavor profile is not cooked up in a lab. This coffee comes from the ingenuity of organic, co-op based growers.

This is the coffee to wake you up, not because it is excessively strong, but because there is a little surprise with every cup.

Photos from Flickr

There is a lot of data to back up this conclusion. A huge National Institute of Health study (the gold standard in health studies) of 380,296 people between 50 and 71 years old showed that people who ate a diet similar to Mediterranean diet had a lower mortality rate (lived longer) than those whose diets were unlike the Mediterranean diet. Over a lifetime, the results can be quite dramatic.

What is a Mediterranean Diet?

A strict Mediterranean diet is the historical cuisine of south Italy, Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean region. The diet in these countries is mostly plant-based. It is rich in fruits, vegetables and nuts. It minimizes red meat, lessens dairy, and emphasizes fish. It replaces salt with herbs and spices. Rather than butter, the diet relies on olive oil. A traditional Mediterranean meal includes wine (which doctors say is optional) and is complemented by exercise.

This diet puts healthier fats (unsaturated) in your body rather than the fats primarily responsible for disease (saturated and trans). It provides lots of minerals, vitamins and fiber through fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It has the necessary omega 3 from fish. Nuts and legumes make up more of the protein intake than they do in a normal American meat-based diet.

You don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan to eat this diet. A Mediterranean diet is about the foods a person predominantly eats. You can have sweets and red meat infrequently, but the core of Mediterranean diet is fruits and vegetables.

You see from the Mediterranean food pyramid below that it shares a lot with the Harvard  School of Public Health’s plate. The Harvard plate is the basis for the less detailed US government’s MyPlate (replaces US Gov. food pyramid). They all share a lot because they both cause similar healthy outcomes.

A Mediterranean diet gives you a wide array of food to choose from and it’s likely that you enjoy many of those foods already. But before you get started, remember to consult your doctor to make sure this diet is right for you.

Our Mediterranean Diet Friendly Food

At Meze Grill, customers can quickly and easily order food that fits perfectly within the Mediterranean diet as our food comes from that area of the world. With a personalized Meze, you can chose from 10 vegetables. 4 of the 5 sauces are completely vegetable-based and have no dairy. 3 of the 4 salad dressings are made with extra virgin olive oil and contain no dairy; they are flavored with herbs and spices (rather than salt) – and all are homemade everyday. We have whole grain pita bread and bulgur wheat (as a nice substitute to white rice). We also have 3 traditional Mediterranean salads. For those cold winter days, we have crushed lentil soup and chickpea & tomato soup. You will never get bored if you are a strict Mediterranean dieter and love coming to Meze Grill.

The major difference between countries with strict Mediterranean diets and those that are less strict is red meat. The Mediterranean diet means that you limit your intake of red meat, but Meze Grill gets the leanest cuts of steak and lamb to minimize any negative health effects for lovers of red meat. We also use consistently use olive oil over other inferior cooking oils so you consume the right kind of fats. Of course, you cannot go wrong with falafel, if you want to play it by the book.

Eating food should taste good and be good for you. At Meze Grill, with a menu dominated by healthy choices, it’s not so hard to choose a healthy and long life.

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid courtesy of http://drpinna.com

Copyright Sanford Pinna, M.D.

All we know about Hummus suggests that it is ancient. But finding a single place and time of invention has evaded historians.Part of the reason for this is how do you define Hummus. Hummus only means “chickpea” in Arabic. What Westerners think of as Hummus is actually called “Hummus bi tahini” in the Middle East. It’s name suggests that the two necessary ingredients are pureed chickpeas and sesame-seed paste (tahini).

Defining What Hummus Is

If those are the only two ingredients that are needed to make real Hummus bi tahini, then it’s orgin goes back to at least 13th century Cairo, when it appeared in a Medieval cookbook called Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada (Arabic for ‘The Description of Familiar Food’). However, in that cookbook, it is called “Hummus kasa.” This recipe uses vinegar and no lemon or garlic. If, in your definition, Hummus doesn’t even need tahini, there is a recipe from a Syrian Medieval cookbook Kitāb al-Wusla ilā l-habīb (also 13th century) that has pureed chickpeas and lemons.

Neither of these two recipes would have the taste that we call Hummus because they don’t have all of the four ingredients that are the hallmark flavors of today’s Hummus: chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon. If your standard is something that would taste similar to today’s Hummus, the first written record of modern Hummus bi tahini comes from 18th century Damascus, in what is now Syria. It suggests, however, that Hummus bi tahini is unknown outside Damascus. As recipes centuries older are quite close to Hummus bi tahini and the ingredients were around for a millenium, that is hard to believe.

Incomplete Records

More likely is that Hummus bi tahini only became a cultural staple with its current ingredients in the last couple centuries. But it was probably made outside the notice of cookbook writers beforehand. The Medieval cookbooks are not comprehensive. With slow transportation systems and no advanced communication systems, it was impossible to amass all the region’s recipes. At that time, regional food variations were much greater, and recipes were more reliant on what was available and affordable. Hummus bi tahini could have well existed but never entered a cookbook (few could write besides). As the main ingredients were used all over the Middle East, it could have been invented, forgotten and invented all over again.

You need only look at how old the ingredients are to see that Hummus bi tahini has an unwritten history that we may never fully understand. The ingredients have been in the Middle East for thousands of years. The last major ingredient to arrive in the Middle East was lemons in 700 CE, but the primary two, chickpeas and tahini, extend back to the beginnings of civilization. From archaeological digs, we know people have eaten chickpeas in the Middle East longer than there has been pottery, or approximately 10,000 years. That predates writing too. The tahini part of hummus, made from sesame seeds, has also been in the Middle East since ancient times. Sesame seeds were used to make sesame oil in food in Mesopotamia since 2500 BCE, so tahini is likely to be about that old. Nor was garlic preventing the creation of a food similar to modern Hummus, as it is as old as the ancient Egyptian pyramids of Giza.

Hummus was the perfect food for arid climates as it filled almost all of a person’s nutritional needs while still being exceptionally flavorful. In fact, hummus has enough protein and fiber to keep our bodies healthy for long periods of time. Also, this relatively simple food is amazingly rich in minerals and vitamins.

A Delicious Mystery

As the first creators of hummus lived near and traveled through some of the most inhospitable regions of the world, they clearly had an understanding of hummus’ health benefits. Besides, no one undernourished can survive a long trek through the desert. And it is no surprise that this tasty solution to our basic nutritional needs has made hummus’ popularity spread all over the world.

It seems unlikely that it would take a millennium (since the arrival of lemons to the Damascus recipe) for someone to make Hummus bi tahini. As most of the people in the world, including the Middle East (although generally more advanced) didn’t know how to write or read until the last few centuries, we will likely never know what happened. But an accurate history doesn’t change how great Hummus is, nor the great variety of Hummuses.  Instead, the mysterious origin of Hummus makes you marvel at how a food now loved all over the world seemingly came out of the desert and left no trace behind.   As a strong source of protein and fiber, as well as being rich in vitamins and minerals and it’s numerous health benefits, it’s no wonder that this delicious food has made a resurgent comeback over the years.