A creamy Middle Eastern dip of mashed chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil — eaten with bread, vegetables, or as a base for fuller plates.
A name with a literal meaning
The Arabic word ḥummuṣ simply means “chickpea.” The full name of the dish is ḥummuṣ bi-ṭaḥīna — “chickpeas with sesame paste” — usually shortened to “hummus” in English. Recipes resembling modern hummus appear in 13th-century Egyptian cookbooks.
What separates good hummus from cafeteria hummus
The two markers of restaurant-quality hummus are smoothness and tahini-forward flavor. Smoothness comes from peeling the chickpeas (or boiling them with baking soda until the skins slip off) before blending — most home recipes skip this step. The dip should taste of toasted sesame, not just lemon and garlic.
Plating
Traditional plating is a wide, shallow swirl in a flat bowl, with a well in the center for olive oil and a topping — whole chickpeas, paprika, parsley, sumac, zhug, fried pine nuts, or ful (mashed fava beans). The dip is meant to be scooped with bread, not spooned.
Beyond the dip
Across the Levant, a plate of hummus is a complete meal — paired with warm pita, pickles, raw onion, and either falafel or shawarma.
Find more foods by letter
Hummus starts with H and ends with S. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Hummus":