Hummus is an oriental paste made from pureed chickpeas, some spices and tahini, a mush made from sesame seeds. Especially in Turkish and Arabic regions, hummus is an established dish, where it is hard to imagine life without it. In Germany, too, hummus is becoming increasingly popular as a spread or snack. Therefore, hummus is already available in many stores. But making hummus yourself is also particularly quick, so that the healthy and delicious paste is ready to eat after just five minutes of preparation.
The origin of hummus
Hummus originated in the Middle East and is an integral part of the food culture there. The chickpea mousse has been eaten in Turkish and Arabic regions for centuries and is even on the daily menu there. For a long time, hummus was only available in Turkish stores in Germany. In the meantime, hummus is also available in some supermarkets. The chickpea originally comes from the Asian-Turkish region. From its area of origin, it was eventually brought to India and the Mediterranean region. Today, due to the ideal climate for the growth of the legume, India is one of the largest cultivation areas of chickpea. In total, there are two varieties of chickpea. The slightly larger chickpea is yellowish-beige and is grown in the Mediterranean region. The variety originating from India is smaller and wrinkled. It has a brown color.
Nutritional values of hummus
Hummus scores not only with its taste, but also contains through the chickpeas many healthy nutrients such as folic acid or vitamin C. Thus, the following vitamins are predominantly contained in hummus:
- Folic acid or vitamin B6 is involved in the duplication of DNA and cell division, especially of nerve cells.
- Vitamin B1 plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism and is essential for the functioning of the nervous system.
- Vitamin B2 ensures healthy skin, hair and fingernails.
- Vitamin C is involved in the formation of collagen, bones, connective tissue, gums and teeth. It protects against free radicals and is also involved in metabolic processes, strengthens the immune system and helps absorb iron.
In addition, the mush is rich in minerals magnesium, zinc and iron. This makes the dish particularly suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Since they easily suffer from iron deficiency due to the absence of meat, hummus with its high iron content offers an ideal substitute. Chickpeas contain a protein content of 20 percent. Of this, the vital amino acids threonine and lysine together take up the largest part. Both amino acids have many functions in our organism. For example, they serve as building blocks for enzymes and hormones. Lysine is important for bones, tendons, muscles and the stability of collagen. Threonine is involved in the formation of collagen and is an important building block for antibodies. In addition, hummus is rich in dietary fiber. These are broken down by bacteria in the large intestine to fatty acids and absorb water. As a result, dietary fiber slows down digestion. Carbohydrates are then absorbed more slowly and less is converted into fat. This has a positive effect on the metabolism. Dietary fiber protects against constipation, diabetes mellitus, obesity, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer and hemorrhoids.
Chickpeas: what you should pay attention to
Chickpeas contain phytic acid, which is known to bind proteins, iron and magnesium in a complex. This makes the substances unavailable to the body because they cannot be absorbed as a complex. Vitamin C is able to break down the complex so that the protein and minerals are available again. Accordingly, the lemon juice in the hummus is very important as a supplier of vitamin C and for the splitting of the complexes. Should you prepare hummus from dried chickpeas, it is important that you let the chickpeas swell for at least twelve hours and then be sure to boil them in fresh water for one hour. This is because chickpeas contain the toxin phasin, which only decomposes and becomes harmless when the legumes are heated for a sufficiently long time. Eating raw or insufficiently cooked or swollen chickpeas leads to poisoning. In this case, the blood clots and gastrointestinal complaints up to gastrointestinal bleeding occur. Typical symptoms are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The recipe: hummus easily prepared
For a good hummus you need only a few ingredients.Here you can see the amount of ingredients for 4 people:
- 350 grams chickpeas
- 3 cloves garlic
- Lemon juice from 2 lemons
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 100 to 150 grams of tahini paste
The basic substance for hummus are chickpeas. Dried chickpeas should be left to swell overnight in sufficient water for twelve hours before further processing, and then boil for an hour in fresh water until soft. For faster preparation, you can use canned chickpeas. These are already ready to eat. To the cooked chickpeas, in the next step, add lemon juice or zest, garlic and olive oil and puree everything together. At the end, you should add tahini, a paste of roasted and ground sesame seeds, to the puree to get the characteristic nutty flavor of hummus. Depending on the recipe, the calorie content per 100 grams varies from 170 to 360 kilocalories.
Hummus variations
Hummus is usually served cold and is particularly popular as a spread on bread or as a dip with vegetables. However, you can also serve hummus with salads or as a dip with larger dishes such as meat dishes. In the Orient, hummus is eaten with pita bread or falafel. A special treat is hummus with toasted pita bread. You can optionally season hummus with additional spices such as cumin, salt and pepper and garnish the puree with paprika powder, parsley, black olives and olive oil. Finished with yogurt, hummus acquires a creamy consistency.