Hummus: The making of an Israeli culinary cult

Abstract

Hummus-an Arab dish adopted by Jews in Israel and made into a 'national dish' and a culinary cult-was first industrialized in Israel in 1958. In this article we look at the impact of the food industry on shaping both consumption patterns and the signification of the dish. Contrary to accounts that contrast mass production to authenticity and tradition, fast to slow food, globalized trade to local production, we regard the industrial and the artisanal as interdependent and mutually constitutive realms of production and consumption. We argue, first, that the Israeli food industry has played a crucial role in turning hummus into a national symbol and a culinary cult. Second, we argue that the growing popularity of industrial hummus not only did not replace the consumption of artisanal hummus, but the other way around. Third, we argue that the industry is simultaneously an agent of globalization and of localization of hummus: it expands the spread of hummus globally and at the same time it sometimes tries to fix to it a local ('national') identity.

Characterization of commercial Spanish hummus formulation: Nutritional composition, rheology, and structure

“…One of the reasons for the success of hummus is its image as a health food. [20] The Spanish hummus analyzed provides high PUFA (12.6 g/100 g), dietary fiber (8.4 g/100 g), and protein (6.8 g/100 g) intakes for consumers (Table 1). In contrast, saturated fatty acids (SFAs) are low in this product (4.0 g/100 g).…”

“…It is well known that in Israel hummus has become a culinary cult. [20] In that country, commercial hummus is considered inferior to hand-made hummus owing to the high level of fat added to the product instead of more tahini.…”

Hummus Masculinity in Israel

“…Many people refer to themselves as "hummus addicts," and people who dislike hummus are considered somewhat of an oddity. Israelis are among the world's largest hummus consumers, and it is consumed by a broad cross-section of society (on hummus in Israel see : Hirsch 2011;Grosglik 2011;Hirsch and Tene 2013).…”

“…This article forms a part of a wider historical-ethnographic research project on the history of hummus consumption in Mandate Palestine and Israel (Hirsch 2011;Hirsch and Tene 2013). It seeks to explore how an Arab dish became such a Jewish-Israeli culinary passion.…”

“Hummus is best when it is fresh and made by Arabs”: The gourmetization of hummus in Israel and the return of the repressed Arab

“… 8. Because the record battle is related to the question of the industrialization of hummus, I discuss it elsewhere (Hirsch and Tene n.d.). …”