How hummus became a kitchen staple

Britain is a “dip-obsessed” nation, said The Guardian, and hummus is at the top of the list. The chickpea-based Middle Eastern dip first hit UK supermarket shelves in Waitrose in 1987 and has since become a “staple” of shopping baskets across the nation.

Social media has added fuel to the hummus craze in recent years thanks to TikTok’s “obsession with #grazingboards and #girldinners”. These trends focus on the massive appeal of finger foods. As for offline, bread and dips have become a “culinary calling card” at restaurants. A good dip makes sure meals “start on the right foot” and shows customers you’re “serious about detail and sourcing”, said restaurateur David Carter.

Being a “handy source of fibre and protein”, hummus’ growing popularity also reflects Britain’s “efforts to become a physically healthier nation”, said The Times. In a sign of its “importance in the national diet”, hummus was recently added to “that ultimate consumer accolade”: the Office for National Statistics’ virtual shopping basket of popular goods used to measure the cost of living in Britain.

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With so many varieties to choose from, picking a pot of supermarket hummus can be a “minefield”, said Tomé Morrissy-Swan in The i Paper. Stand-out options include Waitrose’s No. 1 Extra Virgin Olive Oil Houmous, which has a “smooth, moussy” texture with a “strong but not bitter” tahini taste, and Sainsbury’s Organic Classic Houmous, which isn’t as smooth but has a “very strong, pleasing tahini flavour”. I could “happily eat the whole lot”.

But for those keen to avoid the “long list of unnecessary ingredients” sometimes found in store-bought tubs, it is fairly straightforward to make hummus at home, said Phoebe Cornish in the Daily Express.

If you’re looking to “forgo additives, preservatives, and added sugar”, Jamie Oliver’s 10-minute recipe is a good place to start. He uses just five ingredients. Drain and wash a 400g tin of chickpeas, and throw them into a food processor along with a small clove of garlic, a tablespoon of tahini, olive oil and a “generous squeeze” of lemon juice. Blitz until smooth, top with a “sprinkling of paprika” and “get dipping”.

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