Sriracha Hummus

The classic hummus kicked up a notch with the addition of Sriracha, a hot sauce that adds both flavor and a bit of heat to this delicious, healthy Mediterranean dip.

My friend at work saw me eating this and said to me, “Why don’t they just call it bean dip?” … my answer to her at the time was “it wasn’t invented here”, but I don’t think that really answers her question. She said for years she wouldn’t eat hummus because she didn’t know what it was. When she found out it was bean dip, then she was fine with eating it. I knew that hummus is from the Mediterranean, but I thought it would be interesting to know a little more of the history of hummus. Why DO they call it hummus?

I looked it up and the word hummus, (which has various spellings) is an Arabic word meaning “chickpea.” I think that’s funny … so it really is called “bean dip”.  Top food facts tells quite a bit more about the history of hummus:

Hummus is a Levantine Arab dip or spread that is made from chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) that have been cooked and mashed, then blended with tahini (a paste made from sesame seeds), olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Chickpeas are a vegetable that have been cultivated throughout the Middle East and India for thousands of years. Some sources say that they were growing in the gardens of Babylon. Many regions around the world claim to be the place where hummus originated. The fact is, that because hummus has been around for so long, and in so many different variations, the exact origin has been lost in antiquity. Several cuisine-related sources speak of a folklore tale in which hummus is described as one of the oldest known prepared foods. Others speak of a legend that hummus was first prepared in the 12th century by Saladin, however this claim is highly disputed.

Despite the fact that the exact known origin of hummus is unclear, we do know that the chickpeas, the main ingredient of hummus, were known to be cultivated in the ancient Mediterranean and the Middle East. Chickpeas have been around for human consumption for several thousands of years. The chickpea was consumed in ancient Palestine, and was one of the earliest crops in Mesopotamia, as well as a common food on the streets of ancient Rome. It is also known that the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Socrates made reference to the nutritional value of hummus in their writings. Ancient recipes for hummus have also been discovered.

Well that was a fun little trip back in time. Now, let’s get on to the recipe … I love how easy hummus is to make. If you have a handi chopper or a food processor, it’s ready in a matter of minutes. Just think, the ancients had to do this the hard way!

Sriracha Hummus

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups or so of hummus 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1 can of chickpeas, drained but reserve the juices
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablepoons tahini
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled (more or less to taste)
• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• Salt, to taste

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Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Add 2 Tablespoons of the liquid from the chickpeas and blend. Add 1 – 2 more Tablespoons of the chickpea liquid to get the hummus to the texture you want. Taste and add more Sriracha and a bit of salt, if you like.
2. Serve with toasted pita crisps, crackers, or vegies. Or use it as a spread for sandwiches and wraps or even the “sauce” on a pizza.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe is shared at Foodie Friends Friday, Gluten Free Friday, What to Do Weekends, Weekend Potluck, Sweet & Savoury Sunday and From the Farm Bloghop.