2 cups cooked chick peas or 1 450 gram can
1/4 cup liquid in which chick peas were cooked or canned
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 tspn salt

Garnishes:
olive oil
paprika or cumin
black olives
pimento strips
parsley
whole chick peas

1. Puree all ingredient in a blender or food processor, reserving a few
whole chick peas for the garnish.
2. Add additional tahini and/or lemon juice until you have achieved a
flavor and consistency that suits your taste. In the Middle East, this
puree is preferred quite thin, much more liquidy than our mashed potatoes.
3. Spread in an oval serving platter, drizzle lightly with olive oil and
garnish lavishly. A creative cook can decorate the hummos with a scene
from nature (pimento palm leaves, olive coconuts, on a chopped parsley
trunk).
4. Serve at room temperature with pieces of Arabic bread (pita)for dipping.

Variations: In Greece, cumin and ground coriander are added to the chick
pea dip.

Copyright 1984. From Arabian Cuisine by Anne Marie Weiss-Armush.