Fads come and go so quickly that it can be difficult to keep up with, let alone stay ahead or on top of them. Aside from the entertainment industries, this sentiment is perhaps most easily seen in the food industry, where certain foods or food items either become one-hit wonders or become classic staples. A great example of this is coconut oil, which has been used in Caribbean, Indian, South American, and Southeast Asian cuisine for generations but has only recently exploded in Western markets.
And then of course, there were hummus dip recipes.
Hummus dips have been used in North African, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisines for thousands of years. In fact, the oldest recipe for a food very similar in nature to modern day hummus can be traced all the back to ancient Egypt, where chickpeas — which serve as the base ingredient for hummus — were grown as a staple crop.
Hummus didn’t make its way onto the commercial food scene in the United States until the late 1960’s, where it was confined to ethnic, health, or specialty grocery stores. Slowly but surely, different flavors of hummus eventually made their way onto the mainstream food scene to earn a coveted spot in the refrigerators of Americans.
Today, hummus has lost much of its exotic appeal as continues to become standard fare in America. Hummus dip recipes, however, continue to gain momentum as more and more people explore the versatility of this delicious blend of chickpeas, lemon, garlic, and spices.
There are several different hummus flavors, such as classic roasted garlic or roasted red pepper, however more and more are breaking onto the scene. In addition, both home and restaurant cooks are using them in a variety of unique ways. Hummus dip recipes are being used to create mouthwatering and flavorful dishes such as stir frys, soups, stews, marinades, and of course, appetizers.
What will they think of next?