And God said...'Let there be Hummus'

Hummus is miles aways from the culture I was born in. Thankfully, there are no rules against crossing cultural-cuisine lines to learn about and taste the many foods we've never heard of...

I grew up on soul food. Black-eyes peas, collard greens, cornbread and of course, lots and lots of fried chicken. I was never exposed to the vast array of unique flavors hidden in regions unknown to me. Except, of course, the neighborhood Chinese (Asian) joint. And in America, they are as accessible as McDonalds.

I could have written about anything to highlight the deep, personal connection I have with my roots. But as I was in the process of eliminating potential dishes to write about, a Eureka moment occurred.

Of course! I thought. Why not expound on a culture that I learned about later in life. I should write the story behind my discovery of hummus... Which has evolved a favorite way for me to indulge.

I'm positive this moment of clarity had much to do with considering lunch options in the fridge that day...

***

Note: The following dialogue may have been changed for the sake of theatrics. Plus, it was 21 years ago.

Summer 2004, Blackhawk Co. Top floor of a parking garage.

"You’ve never heard of Hummus? What rock have you been living under?” A friend and colleague of two years, Jeremy asked as we scanned the colorful buffet at a work affair.

“No, I have never... And from the looks of it, only babies should be interested. Looks like flavorless baby food with some kind of nuts or seeds sprinkled on top. What is hummus?”

“Depending on where you are from, it's made from chickpeas or garbanzo beans which are the same thing. And those are pine nuts on top. Expensive things. Think of them as the caviar of the seed family. They help add texture while adding flavor... You need to broaden your taste buds, bud. A man can’t live on hot dogs and grilled cheese alone. Here, let me see your plate.”

I reluctantly held my plate closer to the large bowl of hummus and watched Jeremy slap a dollop onto it, like the lunch lady at grade school does with mashed potatoes.

“Now take some of that pita bread and whatever vegetables you like for dipping and try it.”

Okay. I said, knowing there was no thrill.

That hummus stared at me for a good few minutes while I tried everything else first, BS-ing with the few people gathered in our group.

I love celery. So, I grabbed a piece of that and dipped it in the tannish goo.

It was okay. I wasn't mad.

I tried it with the pita next and became more okay with it. I wasn't over the moon or anything, but it was tasty. After the third and fourth bites I was able to better understand the flavor I was experiencing. Earthy, creamy, smooth with hints of butter, nuts and spice.

It was my first summarized impression of the taste of hummus...

"Did you ever try it?" Jeremy was itching to ask. "Ha! I knew you'd like it!" he continued, staring at the emptiness of my plate. "It's a popular Middle Eastern dish but it feels more Mediterranean to me. My family bathes in the shit. What did you think?"

"I ate it didn't I?"

***

Weeks, maybe months passed with no reason to remember what I ate that day. Love at first taste just wasn't there for me. It wasn't like the first time I tried Pecan pie or Mac-n-cheese—two things I will always remember to have on occasion.

But I did have a second encounter with hummus...

If I'm not mistaken, the store was called Dimitri's. A specialty grocery store right below the foothills in Golden CO. I went there every blue moon, spending way too much time and money there.

I'm positive Hummus was available every time I visited the store. It was invisible before because my eyes found no interest at the sight of it at the gathering, so why would they when I'm shopping?

This time I stopped in front of the deli counter to peer at mountains of it guarded by the curved glass of the counter. And, there was more than just one flavor. At least six varieties were available. I didn't think twice. I wanted to try it again. I settled for a half a pint of the roasted red pepper and the same amount of the garlic type...

Now that I had it at home, what was I going to do with it? I wasn't going to sit there and eat it with a spoon (although I have since). I let creativity take a stab in the dark and found many ways I like it. I discovered it's a great substitute for mayo, slathering it on bread, pairing it with smoked turkey or other fresh deli meats. Yum! I grew to love the velvety, puréed texture and the unique varieties you can buy or concoct.

As I kept thinking of new ways of treating it, I finally came up with a flavor-bomb recipe. I, in no way claim to be the first to ever have it this way.

Let's take a closer look at this healthy vegetarian dish I call Harru. The sound I imagine the letters HRU (Hummus roll up) would make.

Ingredients: Makes 6 portions or more.

1) Pint of Hummus. The flavor of your choice but I find it works best with plain, roasted red pepper or jalapeno. Store bought will cut the time down considerably.

1) Medium tomato, sliced. Then slice those into quarters.

1/3 cucumber (peeled or not), sliced. Then slice those into quarters.

1/4) cup of red onion, diced.

1) head of romaine lettuce, chopped into bite sized pieces.

1/2 cup of strawberry vinaigrette. - Raspberry or any vinaigrette works as well. After trying several types, strawberry adds the best contrast with a sweetness that doesn't offend.

Flatbread- taco sized. (Burrito sized if you plan to turn it into wagon wheels for a party tray)

1/2 teaspoon of Cajun powder. (Use more or less for desired spice level)

A few shakes of unsalted lemon pepper.

Thats it!

Construction:

Take all the veggies and spices and toss them with the vinaigrette. Mix well without torturing the tomatoes. Set aside.

Lay out the flatbread one at a time. Slather 2-3oz of hummus across the center of the bread, barely touching the edges. Take a nice portion of the veggie mixture and place across the hummus. Then roll into either a burrito shape or an open-ended rollup. - Refer to you tube if you've never rolled one before.

Voila! lunch (or dinner) is served. Choose whatever side dish you think would work for you.

Creating flavor combinations is an art in itself. Jeremy introduced me to something his culture can never get enough of, allowing me to broaden my knowledge of the existence and origins of a simple but flavorful staple, which has been around since the 13th century. I'm not vegetarian but I do eat plenty vegetables. Although you can add grilled chicken or smoked salmon to this dish, it's not necessary.

Food will never go out of style. Middle Eastern cuisine holds its place well in this massive army of choices. I may not know everything about the culture, but my tastebuds are sure having great time learning.

When was the last time you tried something new?