Beyond the Dip: Hummus, Heritage, and the Politics of Our Palates

The author in her kitchen celebrating cuisine with cultural context…

Hummus is Arab. YES, IT IS.

It comes from the Levant — Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan. It is the outcome of centuries of culinary tradition and a bazillion little chick peas smashed together in an act of community and ritual — and served on tables throughout the region.

Today, hummus is in hipster cafés, Whole Foods shelves, and five-star fusion menus — divorced from history, stripped of struggle, whitewashed and colonized. I don’t mind that it now feeds the globalized masses. I don’t even mind when it is flavored (Arabs: I see you scowling). Hummus isn’t new, exotic, or yours to rebrand. It’s not a “Mediterranean dip.” It’s not a wellness trend. And — here’s the bone I want to pick — it sure as hell isn’t “Israeli.”

Let’s shift for a second to hummus’ green cousin: guacamole. There’s a whole history here too — created by the Aztecs before the 16th century — and now on modern menus in restaurants everywhere — from the local dive bar to the Michelin-star place we can never get into. Guacamole has been decontextualized as well, detached from its historical and cultural significance as a staple of Mexican cuisine. Like hummus, guacamole is commodified and mass produced, served without context or credit.