Although hummus dips only stepped into the American food spotlight in the 60s, the tahini chickpea-based dip has been gracing dinner tables since the early 13th century. History tells us that chickpeas were introduced to the Middle East 7,000 years ago, and since then, variations of flavors of hummus have been popping up all over the continent.
Every basic hummus recipe contains five ingredients: chickpeas, tahini paste, lemon, and garlic. To that, many add additional spices and sometimes even different vegetables. For example, roasted red pepper hummus dip recipes and edamame hummus are two popular flavors that are often available in stores.
Many ingest hummus for its many nutritional components. Let’s break them down, ingredient by ingredient. For starters, hummus recipes are made with chick peas. Chick peas are in the legume family. This bean is chock full of nutritional value and a significant amount of both protein and fiber. Both protein and fiber are essential nutrients for any growing body.
The next main ingredient in hummus is tahini paste. Tahini paste is an oily pasted made with ground, toasted sesame seeds. Tahini paste is considered a whole food, which means it has hardly been altered from its original state. Tahini hummus dip recipes are rich in minerals, such as phosporous, manganese, iron, and potassium. Additionally, is it high in B vitamins and an excellent source of calcium.
The next ingredient in hummus is olive oil. Olive oil is another ingredient that has been used for centuries because of its numerous health benefits. Although olive oil is a fat source, it is rich in monosaturated fatty acids. These kinds of fats are considered healthy dietary fats, and are said to reduce cholesterol in your body.
Hummus spread is also made with garlic. Garlic is in the onion family and is extremely dense in nutrients such as manganese, vitamin B6, and Vitamin C. Garlic is said to help reduce cardiovascular diseases, and helps improve bad cholesterol levels.
Now that you know the numerous health benefits that hummus has to offer, it’s hard not to want to eat it every single day. And what’s wrong with that? With so many healthy hummus recipes out there, you might as well try them all!
