Ethical hummus

A creamy spread made from a combination of ingredients that are each superfoods in their own right, hummus originated in the Middle East but can be found all over the globe now.

While there are variations, the basic ingredients in most hummus recipes are chickpeas, tahini (a paste made from ground sesame seeds — see the Tahini-based recipes starting on p118), lemon and salt. It’s extraordinarily simple and easy to make but the variety of brands in supermarkets, wholefood stores and markets is evidence that people prefer to buy it conveniently premade and portioned.

Christine Chehade, from Chickpea Lebanese restaurant in Brisbane, says their hummus is made without preservatives using tahini and chickpeas: “Hummus is, which means chickpeas with tahini.