Hummus producers
March 4, 2007 2:21 PM Subscribe
Is there a list of Hummus producers in the US? I know only Sabra.com and would appreciate if somebody could post some other brands.
Crap. There should be an "s" at the end of that URL above. My girlfriend's keyboard is at the end of its rope.
posted by CRM114 at 2:29 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by CRM114 at 2:29 PM on March 4, 2007
Big supermarket brands: Tribe, Athenos. Smaller hippie-grocery brand: Bobbi's.
posted by holgate at 2:30 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by holgate at 2:30 PM on March 4, 2007
Athenos makes hummus, as does Cedar's. Trader Joe's also has a store brand hummus.
posted by amarynth at 2:33 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by amarynth at 2:33 PM on March 4, 2007
Also there's Manischewitz which has both a dry hummus mix and a canned hummus.
Doesn't WholePaycheck Foods have their own store-brand fresh hummus, too?
posted by Smilla's Sense of Snark at 2:40 PM on March 4, 2007
Doesn't Whole
posted by Smilla's Sense of Snark at 2:40 PM on March 4, 2007
Tom's Tabooley is distributed in and around Austin ... not exactly a national brand.
hummus is one of things that is so quick and simple to make it seems a little silly to buy
posted by fourstar at 2:48 PM on March 4, 2007
hummus is one of things that is so quick and simple to make it seems a little silly to buy
posted by fourstar at 2:48 PM on March 4, 2007
Haig's Delicacies makes the best store-bought hummus I've ever tasted, but I'm not sure how far from San Francisco they distribute (I live in Santa Cruz and buy it at a local hippie store.)
hummus is one of things that is so quick and simple to make it seems a little silly to buy
fourstar, you need to 1) give me your recipe or, more likely 2) try some real hummus.
posted by contraption at 3:04 PM on March 4, 2007
hummus is one of things that is so quick and simple to make it seems a little silly to buy
fourstar, you need to 1) give me your recipe or, more likely 2) try some real hummus.
posted by contraption at 3:04 PM on March 4, 2007
Yeah, a lot of the good stuff is regional, I'm not a fan of any of the national ones (although I haven't had manischewitz). Are you in NYC as your handle suggests? If so, just scour the local Mediterranean delis; if not, give us a hint so folks in your region can make suggestions.
posted by rkent at 3:06 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by rkent at 3:06 PM on March 4, 2007
Wildwood's is decent.
I don't know who makes Trader Joe's house brand but it's delicious. My favorite. And I've been eating the stuff homemade all my life.
posted by scarabic at 3:20 PM on March 4, 2007
I don't know who makes Trader Joe's house brand but it's delicious. My favorite. And I've been eating the stuff homemade all my life.
posted by scarabic at 3:20 PM on March 4, 2007
Response by poster: @ RKENT
Yes, I am in NYC. But I am interested in a broad overview over the US Hummus producers. Best Yoyo
posted by yoyo_nyc at 3:21 PM on March 4, 2007
Yes, I am in NYC. But I am interested in a broad overview over the US Hummus producers. Best Yoyo
posted by yoyo_nyc at 3:21 PM on March 4, 2007
EatingWell magazine latest issue has a hummus taste test. They said their test was limited to the best and most widely available brands, and they rated Sabra, Tribe, Cedar's, Emerald Valley and Joseph's.
posted by amarynth at 3:32 PM on March 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by amarynth at 3:32 PM on March 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Trader Joe's brand of hummus is quite tasty.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 3:35 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by whimsicalnymph at 3:35 PM on March 4, 2007
The black-bean hummus I get at my local farmer's market is fantabulous. I bet most farmer's markets have a hummus guy.
Alternately:
3/4 lb. very soft cooked chickpeas (kala chana makes good hummus too) and the cooking water. Don't use canned beans for this.
1/2 c tahine
5-6 cloves garlic (you could roast the garlic if you wanted)
1-3 lemons
salt
paprika
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
Put most of the cooked beans, tahine, garlic, one lemon's worth of juice, a dash or two of paprika and 1 tsp salt in the blender. Add enough of the cooking water to make it blend. Blend. Add more lemon juice, salt or cooking water until it tastes good to you. Stir in the reserved beans (you could blend them all, but I like lumpy hummus). Put it in a bowl, and drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the cilantro on top.
I don't know if this is "real" hummus, but it is very easy.
posted by Methylviolet at 3:41 PM on March 4, 2007
Alternately:
3/4 lb. very soft cooked chickpeas (kala chana makes good hummus too) and the cooking water. Don't use canned beans for this.
1/2 c tahine
5-6 cloves garlic (you could roast the garlic if you wanted)
1-3 lemons
salt
paprika
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
Put most of the cooked beans, tahine, garlic, one lemon's worth of juice, a dash or two of paprika and 1 tsp salt in the blender. Add enough of the cooking water to make it blend. Blend. Add more lemon juice, salt or cooking water until it tastes good to you. Stir in the reserved beans (you could blend them all, but I like lumpy hummus). Put it in a bowl, and drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the cilantro on top.
I don't know if this is "real" hummus, but it is very easy.
posted by Methylviolet at 3:41 PM on March 4, 2007
So is Cedar's.
posted by tastybrains at 3:41 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by tastybrains at 3:41 PM on March 4, 2007
Methylviolet: I've tried that sort of recipe before with limited success, but it still seems to be missing something that I can't identify. Maybe I'm not using the right tahini or something? I had the good fortune to grow up with a little old Armenian lady as a family friend, and the stuff she made was magical: very smooth, tangy, and addictive in that undefinable way. I've only tasted similar in a few restaurants, and out of the tub from Haig's.
I've heard it said that you can attain a smoother texture by removing the skins after cooking, but I've never found specific intructions. Anyway, my definition of an easy recipe doesn't include anything that needs to soak overnight and then get the blender dirty, so maybe I'm just lazier than most.
When I mentioned "real" hummus, I was comparing it to easy recipes more along the lines of:
-dump a can of garbanzos in a bowl, along with a couple tablespoons of tahini, a lot of olive oil and some lemon juice
-moosh up and eat
Lots of people say they don't like hummus, because that's what they think it is, and that makes me sad. I guess that makes me a hummus snob, which I think I can live with.
posted by contraption at 4:10 PM on March 4, 2007
I've heard it said that you can attain a smoother texture by removing the skins after cooking, but I've never found specific intructions. Anyway, my definition of an easy recipe doesn't include anything that needs to soak overnight and then get the blender dirty, so maybe I'm just lazier than most.
When I mentioned "real" hummus, I was comparing it to easy recipes more along the lines of:
-dump a can of garbanzos in a bowl, along with a couple tablespoons of tahini, a lot of olive oil and some lemon juice
-moosh up and eat
Lots of people say they don't like hummus, because that's what they think it is, and that makes me sad. I guess that makes me a hummus snob, which I think I can live with.
posted by contraption at 4:10 PM on March 4, 2007
OK, if you are really in NYC this must be some kind of joke because withing ten minutes of most NYC locations one could probably find at least a dozen if not more brands of hummus.
posted by caddis at 4:16 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by caddis at 4:16 PM on March 4, 2007
IMO, the brand you mentioned originally, Sabra, is all you need to know. Sabra is the bomb; utter creamy goodness. Blows away all other commercially available hummus that I've tried. NB: you pay for that goodness in slightly higher calories and fat.
posted by Ike_Arumba at 4:20 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by Ike_Arumba at 4:20 PM on March 4, 2007
Twin Cities area shoppers can get Holy Land hummus in several varieties.
posted by gimonca at 5:16 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by gimonca at 5:16 PM on March 4, 2007
This doesn't help with your original question, but if you're in New York, please please pleeease go to Hummus Place. They deliver around a 10-block radius, and you can pick up as well. Fantastic!
posted by suedehead at 6:08 PM on March 4, 2007
posted by suedehead at 6:08 PM on March 4, 2007
Also bear in mind that Lebanese, Armenian, Greek, Turkish, Syrian, etc. hummuses vary slightly. As a Greek, I make mine far more lemony and garlicky than the store bought/Lebanese restaurant stuff tends to be. That's a difference I can live with, because I know what I'm getting when I make it.
Incidentally, I use canned chick peas for mine and it turns out fine. If the "balance" is off, often a little bit of water (I use the chick pea juice from the can) needs to be added to the hummus.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 6:15 PM on March 4, 2007
Incidentally, I use canned chick peas for mine and it turns out fine. If the "balance" is off, often a little bit of water (I use the chick pea juice from the can) needs to be added to the hummus.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 6:15 PM on March 4, 2007
I've tried that sort of recipe before with limited success, but it still seems to be missing something that I can't identify.
I know exactly what you mean. There is 1 restaurant around here with amazing hummus. I follow people's recipes online and it comes out like crap. One thing I have found though (and this is probably really obvious) is that many recipes online don't have enough water to get a delicious creamy texture. I still can't get the taste right at home though.
posted by !Jim at 9:00 PM on March 4, 2007
I know exactly what you mean. There is 1 restaurant around here with amazing hummus. I follow people's recipes online and it comes out like crap. One thing I have found though (and this is probably really obvious) is that many recipes online don't have enough water to get a delicious creamy texture. I still can't get the taste right at home though.
posted by !Jim at 9:00 PM on March 4, 2007
I've heard it said that you can attain a smoother texture by removing the skins after cooking, but I've never found specific intructions.
Take a cooked chickpea, and squeeze it a little. It should (start to) shoot out of the skin. It's pretty time-consuming, but I think almost all commercial hummus must be from peeled chickpeas.
posted by dilettante at 10:17 PM on March 4, 2007
Take a cooked chickpea, and squeeze it a little. It should (start to) shoot out of the skin. It's pretty time-consuming, but I think almost all commercial hummus must be from peeled chickpeas.
posted by dilettante at 10:17 PM on March 4, 2007
There are a few other brands even in NYC.. like Yorgo's,, but who cares.. SABRA really is the best by far, unless you've been to the hummus place restaurantwhere it is all hummus all the time.
And btw, is it pronouced WHO-Moose? or humm-us?
posted by Duck_Lips at 5:14 AM on March 5, 2007
And btw, is it pronouced WHO-Moose? or humm-us?
posted by Duck_Lips at 5:14 AM on March 5, 2007
in Jewish/Israeli neighborhood supermarkets (like borough park, Monsey, flatbush, to name some NY area ones) there are several brands of (c)hummus and te(c)hina - companis such as flaums, schwartz appetizing, golden taste, and many others.
posted by Izzmeister at 7:52 AM on March 5, 2007
posted by Izzmeister at 7:52 AM on March 5, 2007
williamsburgh would actually be closest to NYC... try any kosher supermarket or grocery there for a selection of brands. (Lee avenue at the BQE overpass is the main shopping center)
posted by Izzmeister at 7:54 AM on March 5, 2007
posted by Izzmeister at 7:54 AM on March 5, 2007
My wife and I like the Tribe hummus - the natural varieties are pretty good, and don't have anything in the ingredients list that is at all off-putting. We especially like the 40 Spices and Chipotle flavors, but we're both into spicy stuff, so YMMV.
posted by caution live frogs at 9:03 AM on March 5, 2007
posted by caution live frogs at 9:03 AM on March 5, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by CRM114 at 2:26 PM on March 4, 2007