Telegraph: Israeli village stirs up hummus war
An inexpensive, nutritious and tasty dish, hummus is the great leveller in the Middle East, enjoyed by rich and poor, by Muslims, Jews and Christians and by Israelis and Palestinians. "It is something we have in common. Something all of us love," says Shooky Galili, an Israeli journalist who runs the Hummus Blog that seeks to "give chickpeas a chance". But hummus is also the root of heated disputes that rattle friendships and create animosities. Lebanon, which has technically been at war with Israel since the Jewish state was created in 1948, recently sought to have the European Union register the popular dip as a Lebanese specialty. The Lebanese Society for Industrialists claims that Israeli businesses are robbing them of tens of millions of dollars in potential earnings by exporting packaged hummus made using traditional Lebanese recipes. This drew outrage, derision and bemusement in Israel. "Hummus can't be owned by anybody. It's like saying someone owns bread," says Galili, who calls himself "The Hummus Guy".
"It is something we have in common. Something all of us love," says Shooky Galili, an Israeli journalist who runs the Hummus Blog that seeks to "give chickpeas a chance".
But hummus is also the root of heated disputes that rattle friendships and create animosities.
Lebanon, which has technically been at war with Israel since the Jewish state was created in 1948, recently sought to have the European Union register the popular dip as a Lebanese specialty.
The Lebanese Society for Industrialists claims that Israeli businesses are robbing them of tens of millions of dollars in potential earnings by exporting packaged hummus made using traditional Lebanese recipes.
This drew outrage, derision and bemusement in Israel.
"Hummus can't be owned by anybody. It's like saying someone owns bread," says Galili, who calls himself "The Hummus Guy".
Everything is political in the Middle East, even hummus.
