is unique: They start off by toasting the chickpeas in a dry pot before adding
bicarbonate soda, and only then do they pour boiling water over them. The skin
comes off little by little, and then it is a bit like a game, collecting the chickpeas
using only a spatula.
Hummus is commonly served in small ceramic plates with only a drizzle of olive
oil, but it can be served in many ways: topped with chopped parsley, cooked
whole chickpeas or fava beans, cumin, and even ground chile powder. It can also
be garnished with lamb confit, minced meat, slices of sujuk (spicy sausage) or
basturma (Armenian-style cured meat), or, more simply, with pine nuts fried in
butter, or even better, in samneh (clarified butter). In this part of the world, ancient
hummus was much more complex than the hummus we know today. A recipe
dating back to the thirteenth century requires dozens of ingredients including
fresh green chickpeas, pistachios, tahini, lemon, and olive oil. Several decades
later, under the rule of the Mamluk, the anonymous writer of Kanz al-Fawaid,
most likely an Egyptian, documents an even more ambitious recipe that called for
the addition of almonds and other nuts. The ten recipes he left behind provide
indisputable evidence as to the origin of hummus and its extraordinary value.
Farouk Mardam-Bey is a historian and Franco-Syrian Arab food researcher, the author and
publisher of several books, including Traité du Pois Chiche (The Treaty of Chickpeas), and
La Cuisine de Ziryâb (The Kitchen of Ziryab).
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Illustration of the chickpea plant.
The Herbal of al-Ghāfīqī, thirteenth-
century Arabic script. Osler Library
of the History of Medicine
H U M M U S H A S I T S M E M O R I E S
Mohammad Orfali
Hummus has its memories. Prior to my entry into the cooking world, I didn’t
know that chickpeas were the main ingredient in so much of our food. I hadn’t
realized that the chickpeas in hummus with tahini were the same as the chickpeas
we coat in colored sugar, or in the sour-and-salty chickpea snack that the lunch
lady used to sell me at school.
For us school kids, the best possible treats were lollipops and daqa. The latter
are ground, roasted chickpeas seasoned with salt, citric acid, and a few herbs
and spices, such as pepper, dried mint, and cumin. So you see, the daqa and
the lollipop were our favorite snacks as kids, because, between the two of them,
they combined sweet, salty, and sour flavors.
One taste of hummus is enough to take me down memory lane, specifically to
my grandfather’s house and to our family home. The memories of the spread are
still etched into my mind. How can just a few ingredients create such magic?
How can a creamy, tongue-coating dish be a simple combination of chickpeas,
tahini, a little garlic, cumin, and olive oil? Until this day, I am as curious to
know who invented hummus with tahini.
I believe that hummus is a common food that was introduced to the world
in the Levant – Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan. Therefore, unlike what
they say in the West, hummus isn’t a Middle Eastern food – I reject that notion
altogether. The term “Middle East” doesn’t do justice to the identity of hummus
or of the Arab kitchen.
Hummus with tahini can be served either warm or cold. In Aleppo, hummus is
a cold spread with hot chickpeas on top and a dash of cumin, red pepper, and
olive oil. It’s also eaten topped with meat, pine nuts, or a bit of cooked lamb fat.
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For most of us in Syria, Friday was a day for family, starting at breakfast and
Chickpeas have great nutritional value and are considered to be a major source
going all the way through supper. For me, it would start on Thursday with a visit
of protein for people in the Middle East, and other developing countries as well.
to my grandfather’s place. Every Friday morning, Grandpa Mohammad, may
Since it is a protein from a vegetarian source and not the more expensive animal
God rest his soul, would take me with him to buy a sweet or savory breakfast. If
source, to us, chickpeas are the meat of the poor. Yes, here in Syria and in the
sweet, usually we’d have maa’moneyah and shea’beyat, a flakey, cream-filled pastry.
greater Levant, people use chickpeas to make falafel and hummus with tahini.
If savory, we’d usually get broad beans (fava beans) from Haj Abdo, and if we’d
But I’m talking about the lesser known fata, msabaha, tasqeya, qudsiyeh, and
get hummus, it would have to be from Abu Shafiq or Al-Qassas. We’d never
other sustaining dishes that use chickpeas as their main ingredient.
forget to get falafel, and of course, all of the fixings for hummus, too.
In addition to being an important source of protein, the beans provide
Buying all this stuff – from freshly baked bread to green onions, mint, and
income and employment to chickpea farmers, who make up a large portion
pomegranates – meant we’d have to go to more than one place. I still remember
of the food industry. Chickpeas from Syria are grown mainly in the Aleppo
how I used to bring my own plate to the hummus and broad bean shops, before
districts of Idleb and Dera’a, areas that produce 56% of the country’s total
they used plastic containers. The guy at the hummus place used to ask me:
chickpea yield.
“Would you like regular hummus or an excellent one?” The difference was in
the amount of tahini used – the excellent had much more. I used to enjoy the
way he poured the hummus onto the plate from his wooden mortar and pestle,
and how he’d decorate it with cumin and Aleppo pepper.
Mohammad Orfali is a Syrian chef and restaurateur specializing in Aleppian and contemporary
Arabic cuisine, and head of Culinary Content at Discovery Networkś Fatafeat TV in Dubai.
The city of Damascus is famous for its fata ( fattet), a dish of crisp flatbread
with various toppings, and one of the city’s main street foods. I didn’t have
any memories of fata until I moved from Aleppo to Damascus, where it was
introduced to my life at Booz al-Jaddi, one of the famous places that served it.
I later learned that the fata in Aleppo is different. It is heavier, since the bread
is toasted with fat, as opposed to just being dried out, as it is in Damascus.
Chickpeas are put in the fata in two phases: Phase one adds boiled chickpeas to
the hummus, and phase two mixes more chickpeas in with the yogurt, tahini,
and lemon juice.
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A T H O U S A N D – Y E A R – O L D
H A N G O V E R C U R E
One recipe, one thousand years
Kitāb al-Tabīkh (The Book of Dishes) contains more than 600 recipes and
medical remedies, including a cure for hangover called kkishkiyya. This stew
of meat, chickpeas, and vegetables has a special ingredient known as kashk, a
fermented dairy product thought to be the key to alleviating “excess heat in the
head and stomach” brought on by copious amounts of alcohol. Today, kkishkiyya
is still coo
ked in much the same way, mostly in northern Iraq and the Levant.
See Kashk Soup with Chickpeas and Rice (page 89).
Left:
Thousand-year-old cure for hangover
called Kkishkiyya.
The tenth-century book of recipes
and medical remedies Kitāb al-Tabīkh
(The Book of Dishes), compiled by
Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq. The National
Library of Finland
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B U R G H O L B I D F I N E C H I C K P E A , B U L G U R ,
H U M M U S B I L L A H M E H H U M M U S
A N D C A R R O T S T E W
W I T H B U T T E R E D L A M B
This authentic Syrian recipe, based on bulgur and chickpeas, is usually served with yogurt or labneh.
This Aleppo-style hummus is served cold and creamy, with hot chickpeas and spicy meat piled on top.
Recipe by Farouk Mardam-Bey
Recipe by Mohammad Orfali
Serves 6
1. Place ½ cup (100 grams) of the samneh or olive
Serves 4
1. Prepare the hummus: Drain and rinse the soaked
oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the lamb and
chickpeas, transfer to a large pot with 8 cups
1 cup (200 grams) samneh or ghee, or 1 cup (240
cook, stirring occasionally, until brown on all sides,
For the Hummus
(2 liters) water, and simmer until soft and tender,
milliliters) olive oil
about 10 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a plate and
1 cup (200 grams) dried chickpeas, soaked for
about 4 hours. Let cool. Transfer ⅓ cup (80 grams)
2½ pounds (1.1 kilogram) lamb shoulder, cubed
add the onions. Cook until golden, 5 minutes.
24 hours
of the cooking liquid to an ice cube tray and freeze.
4 cups (500 grams) pearl onions, peeled
¹⁄₃ cup (80 grams) chickpea cooking liquid, frozen
2 cups (500 grams) Cooked Chickpeas for Salads
2. Return the lamb to the pot, add the chickpeas,
in cubes
2. Place the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor
and Stews (pages 176-7)
bulgur, salt, and spices, and mix well. Add 4 cups
¹⁄₃ cup (80 grams) raw tahini
fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth,
3 cups (600 grams) coarse bulgur
(1 liter) of water, bring to boil, then lower the heat
1 garlic clove
about 3 minutes.
1 teaspoon salt
to minimum and simmer until water evaporates and
3 tablespoons lime juice
4 cups (1 liter) water
the meat is tender, about 35 minutes.
1½ teaspoons salt
3. With the food processor running, add the frozen
Pinch of freshly ground black or white pepper
¼ cup (60 milliliters) olive oil
chickpea cooking liquid, one cube at a time, until a
Pinch of ground cinnamon
3. Serve the bulgur and chickpea mixture on a plate
smooth consistency is achieved, about 4 minutes.
Pinch of ground cloves
with the meat on top. Drizzle the remaining ½
For the Meat
Pinch of ground cumin
cup (100 grams) samneh or olive oil on the stew,
½ pound (225 grams) lamb tenderloin, cut into
4. Add the tahini, garlic, lime juice, and salt,
½ cup (50 grams) toasted pine nuts
sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve with
½-inch (1 centimeter) cubes
and process until the texture is creamy, about 2
labneh or plain whole-milk yogurt.
3 tablespoons (45 grams) butter or ghee
minutes. Add the olive oil and blend until whipped,
To Serve
Salt, to taste
2 minutes more. Season to taste.
Labneh or plain whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon crushed Aleppo daqa blend, or
store-bought or homemade Baharat Spice
5. Prepare the meat: Heat the butter in a skillet over
Mix (page 376)
high heat. When the butter is hot, sear the meat,
cooking until brown on all sides, about 2 minutes.
Toasted pine nuts, for garnish
Season with salt and Aleppo daqa blend.
6. Spoon the hummus into a serving plate and top
with the meat and pine nuts.
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F A L A F E L S H A M I G R E E N F A L A F E L P A T T I E S
F R I E D C H I C K P E A S A M B U S A S
W I T H B A H A R A T S P I C E
These yeast-risen savory pastries are filled with a spicy chickpea purée.
These flattened green falafel balls get their color from heavy doses of scallions and fresh herbs,
and their unmistakable fragrance from baharat spice.
Makes 30 pastries
1. Prepare the dough: Place the flour, yeast, sugar,
oil, water, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer
For the Dough
fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix until a
Makes 30 patties
1. Rinse chickpeas thoroughly. Place in a bowl, add
4 cups (560 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
smooth and elastic dough forms, about 10 minutes.
water to cover by at least 2 inches (5 centimeters),
1 tablespoon active dried yeast
Cover and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
1½ cups (300 grams) dried chickpeas
and soak in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Drain
1 teaspoon sugar
5 scallions
and rinse the chickpeas.
¼ cup (60 milliliters) olive oil
2. Prepare the filling: Heat the oil in a shallow pan
4 garlic cloves
1¼ cups (300 milliliters) water
over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until
1½ cups cilantro
2. Use a meat grinder to grind the chickpeas, scallions,
½ teaspoon salt
soft and golden, 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas
1½ cups parsley
garlic, cilantro, and parsley to a crumbly paste.
and spices, and cook while mashing the chickpeas
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Alternatively, in a food processor fitted with a steel
For the Filling
into a chunky paste, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool.
1 teaspoon ground coriander
blade, process in multiple batches, if necessary.
¼ cup (60 milliliters) olive oil
1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade Baharat
2 medium onions, chopped
3. Punch the dough down to release the air.
Spice Mix (page 376)
3. Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining spices and
2 cups (500 grams) Cooked Chickpeas for Salads
Cover and let rise for another hour.
1 teaspoon salt
baking powder, and mix together. Add water,
and Stews (pages 176-7)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in between
½ teaspoon ground cumin
4. Roll the dough on a floured surface to ⅛-inch
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
additions, until the batter can be formed into small
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
(3 millimeters) thick. Use a round pastry cutter
½ cup (120 milliliters) water
balls and does not stick to your hands.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
or drinking glass to cut out 4-inch (10 centimeter)
1 teaspoon baking powder
diameter circles. Re-roll the scraps of dough and
Oil, for frying
4. Heat 2 inches (5 centimeters) of oil in a large
Oil, for frying
repeat until you have 30 circles.
saucepan over a medium heat to 350°F (180°C).
Fry 1 falafel ball, taste, and adjust the seasoning
5. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside. Place a
if necessary.
tablespoon of the filling in the center of a dough
round and fold into a half moon. Press the edges
5. Using wet hands, 2 tablespoons, a falafel spoon,
so they are tightly sealed. Repeat with the remaining
or a small ice-cream scoop, divide the remaining
filling and dough. Transfer the sambusas to the
mixture into balls the size of a walnut, and lightly
baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
press to flatten.
6. Heat 2 inches (5 centimeters) of oil in a large
6. Fry the falafel balls, 6 at a time until golden brown
saucepan over medium heat to 350°F (180°C).
all over, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a colander or a
Fry the sambusas, 4 at a time, until golden brown
paper-towel-lined baking sheet to remove excess oil.
all over, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a colander or a
Serve immediately.
paper-towel-lined baking sheet to remove excess oil.
Serve immediately.
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Y A K H N I L A M B A N D C H I C K P E A S T E W
M A H S H I S I Y A M I Z U C C H I N I S T U F F E D
W I T H R I C E A N D C H I C K P E A S
Lamb infuses the chickpeas with a deep, distinctive flavor, in this stew made by the Jews of Aleppo.
Mahshi means stuffed food, and siyami means “belonging to the fast.” This vegetarian dish of zucchini
stuffed with rice and chickpeas is eaten during Lent, a time when Christians abstain from meat.
Serves 4
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium
heat. Add the onion, reduce heat to low and sauté
½ cup (120 milliliters) olive oil
until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the onions
3 medium onions, chopped
and set aside. Increase the heat to high, add the
Makes 12 stuffed zucchinis
1. Prepare the filling: Heat ¼ cup (60 milliliters)
1 pound (450 grams) lamb neck or chops, cut into
meat, and cook for about 12 minutes, until lightly
Ariel Rosenthal, Orly Peli-Bronshtein, Dan Alexander Page 15
