International Hummus Day

Hummus. Firas Hassoun / Pixabay.com / 2017 / CC0 1.0

The 13th of May is International Hummus Day.

It is a day to celebrate the creamy, garlicky, nutty-tasting dip that everyone loves, however you like to spell it in English — hummus? hummos? hummous?

How garlicky do you like your hummus?

What are your favourite things to dip into hummus? vegetable pieces? pita chips? falafel balls? crackers?

Today is a good excuse try a different version of hummus. Have you ever had a sweetened hummus for dessert? What do you think of the new flavours of hummus that have been coming out? Sundried tomato, roasted red pepper, pesto, sweet chili, peanut butter, barbeque, chocolate, pumpkin, Marmite…

To jazz up a bowl of hummus, try some chopped peanuts and maybe a sprinkle with chile flakes.

Hummus is not just a dip: it can be used as an ingredient in dishes: it’s delicious on pizza, or nachos. Add dollops on roasted eggplant, and stir some into the jus from lamb dishes.

Do you like your hummus with or without sesame paste (aka tahini) in it? It certainly adds to the nutty taste, though it also adds to the calories. While no one questions how healthy hummus can be, a low-fat dish it is not: chickpeas are high in fat, and so obviously is olive oil, and sesame paste, but the fat is all good, heart-healthy fat, at least! It is possible to make lighter versions, though: “In Jordan, yoghurt is sometimes used in place of tahini.” ^[1]Sams, Lauren. Give chickpeas a chance: how will you celebrate International Hummus Day? Sydney, Australia: Special Broadcasting Service. 11 May 2020. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2020/05/06/give-chickpeas-chance-how-will-you-celebrate-international-hummus-day

#hummusday #internationalhummusday

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HummusDay

Website: https://hummusday.com

Activities for today

• bring a tub home the night before today, so you are ready for the big day;
• try making some hummus at home;
• try a lower-fat version;
• try a flavoured version;
• have some for breakfast, lunch and dinner (for breakfast ideas, look up “fettet hummus”);
• have friends over for a dinner featuring hummus in several courses;
• try making a sweet dessert version;
• look for special offers on hummus today;
• go out to a Middle Eastern that offers hummus on the menu and enjoy the evening.

Recipes

Hummus nachos

Hummus. Andrea / Pixabay.com / 2015 / CC0 1.0

History

Hummus Day was created in 2012 by a then 18-year-old Ben Lang.

“It was serial entrepreneur and IDF soldier, 18-year-old Ben Lang, a recent American immigrant to Israel, who pioneered Hummus Day, held last month on May 15 [sic]. He’s hoping for a better showing on Tuesday’s International Falafel Day, with thousands, nay, millions eating, tweeting (#falafelday), photographing and Facebooking about falafel, that favorite Middle Eastern fried chickpea treat. Hummus Day, said Lang, was a sorely underplanned event, and he wondered how far he could get with a bit more preparation, given that hummus-related mentions and events “exploded on the event day itself.” ^[2]Bronstein, Dani. Hummus Day pioneer Ben Lang garners fans for that other chickpea treat on Tuesday’s International Falafel Day. Jerusalem, Israel: The Times of Israel. 12 June 2012. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.timesofisrael.com/lovers-of-falafel-are-never-friers/

His inspiration was Nutella Day. He thought, if there’s a day for Nutella, then why not hummus? The day he picked was totally random, and the domain name for the day was available. The first year was slow, as people didn’t any lead notice and heard of it too late to do anything about it, but after that first year, it took off. ^[3]Deane, Yvette. International Hummus Day, an accident? Jerusalem Post. 13 May 2019. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/international-hummus-day-an-accident-589530

The day was originally the 15th of May. The following year, he changed it to the 13th of May:

“In the first year, I chose a random day in the calendar – May 15 — and decided that would be the day,” Lang tells ISRAEL21c. It was a big mistake. May 15 is Nakba Day, when Palestinians mourn their losses in the wake of the 1948 War of Independence. Lang received dozens of angry tweets and emails from Palestinians. Lang decided to change the date to May 13, but pretty soon afterwards forgot about the day entirely… Then, the following year he started receiving tweets wishing him a happy Hummus Day. People were writing about it in the press, celebrities were mentioning it on social media. The holiday had taken off.” ^[4]Blackburn, Nicky. Dip into worldwide hummus holiday today. Israel21c. 13 May 2015. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.israel21c.org/dip-into-worldwide-hummus-holiday-today/

Sources

Jain, Chitra. International Hummus Day 2020: Know About It’s History, Significance & How To Celebrate It. Republic World. 11 May 2020. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.republicworld.com/lifestyle/food/international-hummus-day-2020-here-is-the-history-significance.html

Celebrate International Hummus Day. Oakland, California: KTVU News. 13 May 2021. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.ktvu.com/news/celebrate-international-hummus-day

Kaput, Kate Bigam. Recipes to Celebrate International Hummus Day. Union for Reform Judaism. Accessed May 2021 at https://reformjudaism.org/5-recipes-celebrate-international-hummus-day

Wade-May, Prudence. International Hummus Day: 7 ways to switch up your dip. Wise Living Magazine. 13 May 2020. Accessed May 2021 at https://wiselivingmagazine.co.uk/food-and-drink/inspiration/hummus-7-flavour-combinations-to-try/