A group of Lebanese businessmen have accused Israel of stealing their traditional dish, hummus. Although the exact origins of the creamy garbanzo bean spread are unknown, the Lebanese Industrialists Association, lead by Fadi Abboud, plan to sue Israel for ownership. Abboud hopes to make hummus a dish with protected geographical status.
Similar to how feta cheese must be made with Greek sheep and goat's milk or how champagne must be made with grapes native to the Champagne region of France, Abboud believes hummus and other local delicacies (baba ghannouj, tabbouleh) deserve geographical protection. His case may be futile, though; the Protected Geographical Status Law applies only to countries in the European Union. There is no such law in Lebanon and Israel.
I think the whole thing is a bit comical: who has time to fight over the ownership of hummus? Still, I'm curious to see if hummus is declared a product specific to Lebanon. What do you think about the claim?
La Perla
Passionata
Martick Jewellery
I don't care if it comes from Lebanon, Israel, or the grocery store down the street. If it's great-tasting hummus, I'll eat it.
I can understand where they're coming from though. Since Feta and Champagne do get geographical protection...Although I have no problem drinking sparkling wine from California or eating store-brand "Feta". Let me reiterate by saying...if it's great-tasting, I'll eat it, no matter where it's made.
1Well when I went to culinary school they made a big deal about what it takes for Swiss cheese to be accurately called Swiss cheese and things like that - so it doesn't seem ENTIRELY outrageous to me
2too funny - i saw Don't Mess with the Zohan last night and he ate Hummus on everything and fought fires with hummus and did everything with hummus, sooo funny that this is actually a story!
3Ridiculous.
!
4I mean, seriously...today? With what else is going on?
It's a luxury to fight over hummus!
Israel has some of the best, by the way
Really? This is a big deal, with everything else going on in that region?
5I hate hummus anyway...grow up!
6Please stop all the fighting! this is crazy. Who cares who made hummus first. Just enjoy it and live in peace not pieces.
7Can anyone recommend a good brand of hummus that you can buy in the grocery store?
8I love making my own hummus!
9Mtiger - Try Athenos. It's pretty good.
10Sabra is good
11mmmm.... now i'm craving these!
12Thanks, Tidalwave. I'm going shopping tomorrow, so I think I'll pick some up!
13skigurl - I was thinking the same thing about the Zohan movie...every 2 minutes there was something about hummus!
14I could care less where it comes from, hummus is delicious no matter what!
15Ridiculous. Hummus is a middle eastern dish. There's no flag poking out if it.
16well i think that it's just something else for the 2 nations to argue about to be honest. i can understand why each is laying claim to it, especially with how it's grown in popularity - but i don't know what to really say about this one. i guess they will have to track back through any history books that they have to show which country had it first at some important meal and then figure out that way who really is the place of origin huh?
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