Recently I visited London on a work trip. I visited a pub with my colleagues, and as we were walking back to the hotel near Holborn, we passed by a small sign from which I made out the word “hummus”. Like a Pavlov’s dog, my curiosity (and appetite) was immediately aroused.

I stopped to read the sign in more detail. It turned out to be a restaurant which specializes in hummus! The Hummus Bros, as they call themselves, is a cozy place with superb hummus, very excellent aloe vera juice and free wi-fi access too. The next evening I visited the restaurant, had some hummus, watched the traffic and people flow in the streets in front of the restaurant and just marvelled how something made from such simple ingredients can taste so good.

Okay, so what is hummus? Hummus is a delicious food from the Middle East. Ever since I first had a taste of it, I’ve become somewhat addicted to the stuff, enjoying a bowl every now and then, with and without extras. Hummus is both healthy and tastes good, and you can combine it with quite many things.

Before you rush out to buy a can of ready-made hummus, you might consider that since hummus is very easy to make, you can easily achieve better taste and fresher hummus with very little effort. To make hummus, one needs

• chickpeas (also known as garbanzo peas),
• tahini (sesame seed paste),
• some garlic,
• some lemon juice,
• some salt, and
• perhaps some spices, such as cumin and paprika powder.

A dash of olive oil won’t hurt.

Even after numerous times I have yet to perfect my own recipe in great detail, so in the meanwhile you can check out the Hummus Blog, read what Wikipedia has to say about hummus, or peek at Wikibooks’ hummus recipes.