We love hummus in our house. I must admit I also love the variations with peas, sweet potato and beetroot. Especially the later with lots of cumin like I had at Duck Soup in SoHo once upon a time. I’m also intrigued about the vegetable oil other than olive oil. I’ll have to give that a go next time we make it.
Olive oil gives hummus flavour, but not necessarily lightness. When blended into the hummus itself, its stronger aromatic compounds and naturally heavier texture can create a denser, more palate-coating finish. Neutral oils, by contrast, disappear into the emulsion, allowing the chickpeas and tahini to whip into a smoother, silkier cream. This is why many professional kitchens reserve olive oil for drizzling on top rather than whipping into the hummus itself.
The thing I hate about store bought hummus is the overly powerful use of processed garlic paste. It not only kills the taste of the nutty chickpeas, it stinks out the fridge and leaves a strong, lingering taste in the mouth that no amount of tooth brushing can eradicate.😷
Love this! I holiday'd in Corfu a lot and our local mini supermarket sold their own hummus - it was totally different to any hummus I'd ever had. Not super smooth or whipped, but actually a little grainy and looser, almost watery, and not strongly tahini-spiked in flavour (descriptions that I know may sound negative but oh my god it was unbelievable). I've been dying to know what this method is and how to recreate it. Any thoughts..?!
“Ahhh yes! I know exactly the kind of hummus you mean 😍 A lot of Greek-style hummus (especially the homemade or deli supermarket versions) is very different from the ultra-whipped Lebanese restaurant style people are used to now. It’s often intentionally a little looser, more rustic, less tahini-heavy, and sometimes even slightly textured from the chickpeas.
I suspect what made it so addictive was:
less tahini (so the chickpeas actually shine)
more lemon/water or even chickpea cooking liquid
chickpeas blended less aggressively
lots of good olive oil
possibly garlic softened first rather than raw
In the Levant we have versions that are smoother and richer, but village-style hummus can also be more rustic like that, especially when made fresh at home rather than for presentation.
Try this:
1 jar chickpeas (keep the liquid!)
1–2 tbsp tahini only
plenty of lemon
olive oil
cold water/chickpea liquid to loosen
blend briefly so it stays slightly textured
It should look almost too loose before chilling. That’s usually the secret 👀”
The distinction between hummus as a supermarket 'dip' and hummus as a warm foundation that completes a meal is an important one. It moves the conversation away from modern convenience and back toward the structural logic of the kitchen.
However, there is a strange contradiction at play here.
While the title promises a look at 'hummus beyond borders,' the essay immediately draws a new border by insisting on a specific national 'soul' for the dish.
That feels like an unnecessary narrowing of what is actually a vast, borderless Levantine biography. Hummus - whether enriched with the butter of Turkey, the warmth of Palestine, the silkiness of Syria, or any of its other regional iterations - belongs to a shared ecosystem that predates modern states.
It is precisely this historical inclusiveness that allows the dish to escape the kind of culinary proprietorship inside which so many other foods become trapped. Hummus is simply too generous, and its history too restless, to be contained by a single modern map.
I learned to eat hummus in England. So good. I haven’t found a hummus I really like here. I think British brands might be better. I make it at home when I want some. Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Amazing article by Lina as always
Thank you ❤️
We love hummus in our house. I must admit I also love the variations with peas, sweet potato and beetroot. Especially the later with lots of cumin like I had at Duck Soup in SoHo once upon a time. I’m also intrigued about the vegetable oil other than olive oil. I’ll have to give that a go next time we make it.
Olive oil gives hummus flavour, but not necessarily lightness. When blended into the hummus itself, its stronger aromatic compounds and naturally heavier texture can create a denser, more palate-coating finish. Neutral oils, by contrast, disappear into the emulsion, allowing the chickpeas and tahini to whip into a smoother, silkier cream. This is why many professional kitchens reserve olive oil for drizzling on top rather than whipping into the hummus itself.
Amazing! I’m going to try this even though we are reducing our use of veg oils. I’m using a lot of ghee at the moment in my cooking
The thing I hate about store bought hummus is the overly powerful use of processed garlic paste. It not only kills the taste of the nutty chickpeas, it stinks out the fridge and leaves a strong, lingering taste in the mouth that no amount of tooth brushing can eradicate.😷
Agree with you 💯. But I do love a garlicky hummus; fresh garlic is so good.
Love this! I holiday'd in Corfu a lot and our local mini supermarket sold their own hummus - it was totally different to any hummus I'd ever had. Not super smooth or whipped, but actually a little grainy and looser, almost watery, and not strongly tahini-spiked in flavour (descriptions that I know may sound negative but oh my god it was unbelievable). I've been dying to know what this method is and how to recreate it. Any thoughts..?!
“Ahhh yes! I know exactly the kind of hummus you mean 😍 A lot of Greek-style hummus (especially the homemade or deli supermarket versions) is very different from the ultra-whipped Lebanese restaurant style people are used to now. It’s often intentionally a little looser, more rustic, less tahini-heavy, and sometimes even slightly textured from the chickpeas.
I suspect what made it so addictive was:
less tahini (so the chickpeas actually shine)
more lemon/water or even chickpea cooking liquid
chickpeas blended less aggressively
lots of good olive oil
possibly garlic softened first rather than raw
In the Levant we have versions that are smoother and richer, but village-style hummus can also be more rustic like that, especially when made fresh at home rather than for presentation.
Try this:
1 jar chickpeas (keep the liquid!)
1–2 tbsp tahini only
plenty of lemon
olive oil
cold water/chickpea liquid to loosen
blend briefly so it stays slightly textured
It should look almost too loose before chilling. That’s usually the secret 👀”
Homemade hummus can't be topped!
The distinction between hummus as a supermarket 'dip' and hummus as a warm foundation that completes a meal is an important one. It moves the conversation away from modern convenience and back toward the structural logic of the kitchen.
However, there is a strange contradiction at play here.
While the title promises a look at 'hummus beyond borders,' the essay immediately draws a new border by insisting on a specific national 'soul' for the dish.
That feels like an unnecessary narrowing of what is actually a vast, borderless Levantine biography. Hummus - whether enriched with the butter of Turkey, the warmth of Palestine, the silkiness of Syria, or any of its other regional iterations - belongs to a shared ecosystem that predates modern states.
It is precisely this historical inclusiveness that allows the dish to escape the kind of culinary proprietorship inside which so many other foods become trapped. Hummus is simply too generous, and its history too restless, to be contained by a single modern map.
Thank you Lulu, for sharing this and for appreciating the beauty of hummus in its simplest form, warm chickpeas, tahini, lemon and olive oil.
Sometimes the oldest recipes still say the most.
I learned to eat hummus in England. So good. I haven’t found a hummus I really like here. I think British brands might be better. I make it at home when I want some. Looking forward to trying this recipe.