Miss Jean wrote:

> "Peggy" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>j*ni p. wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I've seen a few hummus recipes in rfc and have always wanted to
>>>try it. Unfortunately, I'm too chicken to make something myself
>>>if I have no idea what it will taste like (I don't recall ever
>>>eating a chickpea). So today at the stupidmarket, I bought
>>>something called "Athenos Hummus & Pita", and gave it a try.
>>>
>>>The first thing I noticed was the smell of cumin. No problem, I
>>>like cumin. Then I tasted the hummus -- it was good, but it seemed
>>>to have a bitter and/or sour after taste that I didn't care for.
>>>Is that normal, or is it perhaps a product of all the various gunk
>>>that one finds in store bought stuff?
>>>
>>>Here's a list of the ingredients:
>>>
>>>Chickpeas, water, olive oil, tahini (sesame), garlic, lemon juice
>>>concentrate, salt, high fructose corn syrup, contains less than 0.5%
>>>of spice, sorbic acid and sodium benzoate as preservatives, phosphoric
>>>acid, natural flavors.
>>>
>>>Comments? Thanks in advance... :-)
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Tahini can sometimes be bitter, and who needs all that other gunk?
>>
>>I make hummus with chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper, fresh
>>garlic, lots of lemon juice, and parsley. Throw everything but the
>>parsley into the food processor and give it a whirl. Taste for
>>seasonings (you may want to add some other kind of hot pepper) and whirl
>>again. At the last moment, toss in a handful of fresh parsley and
>>process only until parsley is chopped, not liquified (or you'll have
>>green hummus -- which is maybe OK for St. Patrick's Day). Easy.
>>Delicious. Serve with toasted pita points or thinly sliced toasted
>>baguette.
>>
>>Hmmmmmm. Now I'm hungry.
>>
>>Peg
>>
>
>
> I want to try this too, but you can't buy Tahini at either of the stores in
> my little town. I noticed you didn't list it when describing yours. Is it
> required - as in "without tahini it isn't hummus"? Thanks for the info.
>
> Miss Jean, lots to learn
>
>
.. . . and when you do find tahini, you have no idea how long it's been
sitting on the shelf becoming bitter. This may not be "genuine" hummus,
but it sure does the trick for me, loaded with garlic, lemon juice, and
fresh parsley — and I haven't had any complaints.