The scent of lemon on your hands combining with the earthy fire of garlic. The nuttiness of the tahini as you fold it into the mash of chickpeas. That drizzle of olive oil to serve along with hot pita bread or lavash. The site of fresh hummus arriving at the table with a serving of hot flat bread is indeed a glorious moment. Yet what are the origins of this healthy and tasty dish that has become synonymous with Middle Eastern cooking?

The world itself has many different spellings in English and in fact comes from the Arabic word “chickpeas”. The Oxford English Dictionary has the date of the first use of the word in 1955 and it seems that the English use of the word comes from Turkey to mean the dip itself rather than just the chickpeas. Technically in the Arabic you should ask for “chickpeas with tahini” or “hummus wa tahina” when referring to the entire dip which would also contain lemon juice,garlic and topped with olive oil or, in some case, minced lamb.

The chickpea itself has been in the human diet for over 10,000 years and records in Palestine show it being used before 4000 BC. In ancient Rome the chickpea was used as a street snack and they show up in archaeological evidence with the Sumerians prior to 2500 BC. Tahini does not seem to have as many records yet the sesame seed , from which this paste is made, does appear in Assyrian and Babylonian records.

The exact history of hummus as the dish we know of today seems to be unclear. The development of the ingredients along with lemon juice and garlic could possible be much later. However, there is evidence of The ancient Egyptians combining chickpeas with vinegar possible in dip form. The confusion as to the exact origins could possibly arise from the reference to “chickpea” rather than the dip. Plato and Socrates both recommend the health benefits of hummus. However, they are very probably referring to the chickpea rather than the dip.

The other problem is the lack of recorded recipes in the middle east from the 14th century. There seems to be a reference to a chickpea dip, again made with vinegar, in the 12th century. From then on the records get scarce. Stories of Saladin, who led his army against the crusades, preparing the dip could well be the stuff of legend but then it may very well be true.

The history of the ingredients from olives to lemons to garlic, tahini, and of course the chickpea, are easy enough to trace. The problem arises when trying to pin down the combination that creates the dip that we know and love.

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