Hummus

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When I started this “Impressions of Israel” set of blogs on September 3, 2021, I shared my fear of embarrassment when I first arrived in Israel in 2008.

This blog is a continuation of that story.

After I got off the plane, I was comfortable and enjoyed what we were seeing and where we are going.

This particular day, we were walking through the Old City of Jerusalem to visit a community on the other side of the city. As we traveled a street in the Muslim quarter, we were told to move swiftly, do not stop to talk or look at anyone, and not to make eye contact with the vendors. This street was dangerous for tourists.

[Just a note here. The Old City of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters; the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. Since that trip, I have learned there is a street in each of the quarters which is considered dangerous.]

We were walking swiftly and I felt myself knocking something over. It was a small table with a bowl of hummus. I slowed down so I could help clean this up, but I was grabbed by the arm and was pulled along with the others. I was told not to worry about it because it was just a bowl of hummus.

To this day, I wonder what would have happened if I had stopped and interacted with that merchant.

This is a bowl of hummus surrounded by pita bread. The bread is dipped in the hummus while eating. Even though the second Friday of the month I like to give you a recipe, I decided not to share one this month. There are hundreds of recipes. As one person told me there are as many recipes as there are people who make hummus and even more. For example, my daughter and her husband started making hummus from a generic recipe and are adapting it to find the exact mixture of spices and ingredients that is the taste they want. The basic recipe includes chickpeas, tahini, olive oil. Any number of spices can be used for more flavor, the most common is garlic.
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2 Comments

  1. I love hummus, especially when it is fresh and creamy. I’ve never tried to make it though. That event must have made an impression on you, since it was more than 10 years ago. Some of my best experiences have been in “dangerous” places. Some of my worst have been in “safe” ones. But you were probably wise to listen to your guide.

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