WE ARE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY ART COLLECTIVE DEDICATED TO EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOD AND CONFLICT THROUGH ANY ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
HUMMUS
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By Omar Castañeda and Hernan Barros
The origin of Hummus is not entirely certain but it is supposed to come from some place in the Arab region. Israel, as a nation, has it as National Dish, which seems to offend many Arabs. For Israelis it is more a main course, unlike for Lebanese, for whom it is a side dish or a starter. The differences lay on the amount of Tahini, the inclusion of ingredients as varied as yoghurt, butter, garlic, and of course, the time of the day when is eaten.
The Israeli made a Guinness Record for the biggest hummus ever served but a year after, in 2010, the Lebanese took it back by making a dish more than double in size which was over 10 tons. Israeli have managed to market the Hummus abroad very well, specially in the US market while Lebanese are attempting to give the Hummus an status of a Geographically Protected product.
Who will succeed? Who would loose? The winners write history and whoever succumbs in battle will be forgotten, dethroned, stripped of its legacy. In there, lays the importance of Hummus as a trophy. A popular tradition that covers a larger territory and by acknowledging it as from one side, the other side would kneel down to the "rightful owners" every time they taste it.