http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=110362
Arab-Israeli village stirs up hummus war with record bid
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Patrick Moser
Agence France Presse
ABU GOSH, Israel: At the risk of whipping up discord with Lebanon, an
Arab-Israeli village is planning to make the world's biggest hummus, a humble
chickpea dip that stirs passions across the Middle East. On Friday, residents
of Abu Gosh, near occupied Jerusalem, will mash up 4,000 kilograms (8,800
pounds) of chickpeas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
That is twice as much as the Guinness record set in October by chefs in
Lebanon, Israel's neighbor, longtime political foe and culinary rival.
An inexpensive, nutritious and tasty dish, hummus is the great leveller in the
Middle East, enjoyed by rich and poor, by Muslims, Jews and Christians and by
Israelis and Palestinians.
"It is something we have in common. Something all of us love," says Shooky
Galili, an Israeli journalist who runs the Hummus Blog that seeks to "give
chickpeas a chance."
But it is also the root of heated disputes that rattle friendships and fuel
animosities between longtime foes.
Lebanon, technically at war with Israel since the state was created in 1948,
recently sought to have the European Union register the popular dip as a
Lebanese specialty.
The Lebanese Society for Industrialists claims Israeli businesses are robbing
them of tens of millions of dollars in potential earnings by exporting packaged
hummus made with traditional Lebanese recipes.
This drew outrage, derision and bemusement in Israel.
"Hummus can't be owned by anybody. It's like saying someone owns bread," says
Galili, who calls himself "The Hummus Guy."
Galili deplores the bad blood over his favorite dish, however he admits that
the hummus war "is certainly one of the nicest wars we have in the region. If
all our battles were like that it would be wonderful."
Hummus is sometimes described as one of the oldest known prepared foods, eaten
in the Middle East for centuries. But its origins have become lost in the sands
of history.
Some suggest its roots might be traced to ancient Rome or Greece, but voicing
such theories out loud is not recommended in this volatile region.
Galili says it is irrelevant who first came up with the tasty concoction that
has become an integral part of Middle Eastern culture, suggesting it should be
seen as God's gift to the region.
In the Holy Land hummus enjoys near-cult status. Often shared with family and
friends, with everyone dipping their pita bread in the same plate, the
ubiquitous dish crosses Israeli-Palestinian boundaries.
Israelis generally recognize the best hummus is made by Arabs.
But arguing about who serves the best hummus, and whether it should be creamy
or chunky, is not for the faint-hearted. Just about everyone has a favorite
hummus joint and is willing to defend it at high volume and with much
gesticulation.
One name that often comes up is that of Abu Shukri, a hole-in-the-wall
family-run hummus eatery that has become a landmark in the heart of Jerusalem's
Old City. Hummus pundits also hold the traditional restaurants in the historic
Arab-Israeli cities of Jaffa and Acre in high esteem.
And many aficionados have a soft-spot for Abu Gosh, an Arab-Israeli village a
few minutes drive from Jerusalem, which on weekends is packed with hungry
day-trippers on a search for the holy grail of hummus.
Jawadat Ibrahim, who owns a restaurant named after the village and is
organizing the Guinness bid, acknowledges that "Lebanese hummus is very good"
but boasts that "Abu Gosh is the hummus capital of the world" - fighting words
to rival fans.
Hummus fiends in these parts tend to be as loyal to their eatery of choice as
sports fans to their club.
"Even if your football club doesn't win the championship, you still believe
it's the best and everyone else is wrong. With hummus it's the same; there's no
way you'll convince anyone their favorite is not the best," says Galili.
Passionate hummus arguments do not, however, degenerate into hooliganism, he
adds reassuringly. "We argue but we don't kill each other."
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