Dips, Spreads & Purées

Where we come from hummus is sorevered it is prepared in shops that sell only that, by people who have mastered the art over decades, if not generations. The loyalty and emotions these places evoke are very similar to those you may have for your football team or your religion. And Sarit and I have very different opinions on the subject: my Jerusalem palate demands the pure and austere version which tastes strongly of chickpeas and little else, while my wife craves something different altogether, rich and creamy with tahini, and with plenty of cumin and lemon to cut through it. With all the tension that comes with restaurant life, this is one issue we thought we could do without, and so we decided to avoid the subject altogether and not serve hummus at all. I still think it was the right thing to do – it shows humility before the old traditions, as well as our ambition to bring a different view of Middle Eastern food to the London table.