Getting Real About Experimenting With Hummus

Hummus dip recipes may have only recently become apart of the American palette, however, hummus recipes have been around for thousands of years. Did you know that chick peas, also known as garbanzo beans, were first cultivated nearly 7,000 years ago?

Legumes such as beans have been a staple of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean — where hummus originated — for thousands of years, and have only now become a staple in Western cuisines. But why is this?

Americans are perhaps more health conscious now than they’ve ever been. As medical technology advanced and Americans continued to learn and understand the link between unhealthy diets and chronic illness, they began incorporating healthier foods and condiments, such as hummus, into their diets. Simple swapping hummus dips for fatty, sodium-rich condiments such as mayonnaise and heavy dressings, can work wonders in terms of cutting calories, losing weight, and being healthy.

Now, hummus has become so much apart of the American diet that it’s hard to imagine this tasty dip was once confined to the health food sections of specialty or ethnic grocery stores.

However, America is also a nation of home cooks, and as such, many home cooks experiment with their own varieties of hummus at home. The main ingredient of hummus is ground chickpeas, however, the possibilities are simply endless in terms of different flavors of hummus.

For example, basil pesto hummus is an easy to make variety of traditional hummus. The salty, savory flavor of the pesto is perfectly paired with the bland, nutty flavor or hummus.

While basil pesto hummus is undoubtedly delicious, why not go against the grain and experiment with other flavors, such as kale pesto hummus? Hummus itself had a mild enough flavor that it’s able to compliment, if not absorb, surrounding flavors. This allows it to be perfectly paired with a variety of flavors, sides, and toppings.