Over the last two decades, hummus has evolved from a mezze at Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants to the hottest, most nutritious dip and spread at supermarkets nationwide. It’s the darling of nutritionists, nutritious and versatile, and a better-for-you snack.

It also is welcome to vegans, kosher consumers, and the lactose intolerant.

Hummus is a thick paste that originated in the Middle East (see the history below). The classic recipe has two main ingredients, ground chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and tahini, a paste of toasted sesame seeds; along with olive oil, lemon, and garlic.

The word hummus is Arabic, meaning chickpeas. The full name of the spread is hummus bi tahina, chickpeas with tahini.

May 13th is International Hummus Day, a.k.a. World Hummus Day.

Below:

> The history of hummus.

> Hummus comes to America and begets flavored hummus, hummus without chickpeas, and more.

> Beyond a dip and spread, dozens of uses for hummus.

> 25+ hummus recipes, including non-traditional uses such as dessert hummus and hummus sushi.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> 20 ways to make a hummus sandwich.

> Hummus garnishes.

> The year’s 20 appetizer and hors d’oeuvre holidays.
 

[7] Hummus ingredients: tahini (sesame paste), chickpeas (garbanzo beans or ceci), olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt (photo: The Nibble).
 
 
THE HISTORY OF HUMMUS

Hummus (short for ḥummuṣ bi-taḥīnah, “chickpeas with tahini”) is a purée of chickpeas with tahini, typically with lemon and garlic.

Food historians generally agree that no exact inventor or birthplace can be proven, because chickpeas and sesame have been eaten around the Eastern Mediterranean/West Asia for millennia, and dishes evolve gradually.

Chickpeas, sesame, lemon, and garlic have been eaten in the Levant† for thousands of years. Chickpeas were first cooked in stews and other hot dishes. Puréed chickpeas eaten cold with tahini do not appear before the Abbasid period (750 to 1517 C.E.) in Egypt and the Levant†.
 
 
The Earliest Known Recipes

The earliest known recipes for a dish similar to hummus appear in medieval Arabic sources, notably 13th-century cookbooks from Cairo.

This “hummus kasa” may not be the hummus we know today. Some historians suggest the modern, “classic” style we enjoy today (hummus bi tahini) may have been refined later.

Some food historians believe the paste appeared a century earlier, prepared by Saladin, the first sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty (1174–1193). If so, it was more likely created by a cook in his kitchen, the idea of the warlord Saladin-as-cook being tough to swallow.

Recipes for cold purée of chickpeas without tahini, but with vinegar, oil, pickled lemons, herbs, and spices—but no garlic—appear in medieval cookbooks; as do recipes with nuts vinegar (though not lemon), with many spices and herbs.

From there, hummus becomes a daily staple across the Levant and Egypt, served with bread as part of home cooking and mezze culture, and becoming an iconic food of the region.

Whomever and however, we’re grateful that it came to be part of our [almost] daily diet.
 

[8] Hummus was born somewhere in the Levant, an old term for the portion of the Eastern Mediterranean that included modern Türkiye’s southern coast, Syria, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, and parts of northwestern Iraq and the Sinai Peninsula. There’s more about it in the †footnote below (map © Madain Project).
 
 
Hummus Arrives In The U.S.

Although ubiquitous in the Middle East, the word “hummus” may have first appeared in an American newspaper, Pittsburgh’s The Jewish Criterion, in 1949.

The reference source isn’t surprising, since hummus was served and sold within Middle Eastern and Sephardic Jewish communities and in specialty groceries long before it was a national grocery item. Sahadi’s, a Middle Eastern grocery in Brooklyn, has been selling hummus since 1948.

Packaged, refrigerated hummus had its national “launch” in the 1980s, into a culture that loved dips and healthier options. While served with classic pita and later, different chips, hummus and raw vegetables (crudités) became go-to snacks and party fare in many circles.

The “big players” in the category—Sabra, Tribe, and Athenos—could be found nationwide. By 2016, Sabra accounted for 62% of U.S. grocery-store hummus sales.

By 2016, TODAY reported that “Twenty years ago…most Americans could not pronounce the word ‘hummus’,” and U.S. grocery sales had exploded to hundreds of millions annually, with some estimates of 25% of American homes stocking it.

But that was just the beginning. The U.S. hummus market value estimate in 2025 was $1.08B, forecast to reach $1.86B by 2032 [source: Research and Markets summary via GlobeNewswire].

Americans, most of whom first discovered hummus served with pita, a Middle Eastern flatbread, turned it into a general dip for crudités and tortilla chips, and a sandwich spread.

[2] A craveable Mediterranean lunch: hummus and Greek salad. Here’s the recipe from Garden In The Kitchen.

[3] This burger is made from hummus! Here’s the recipe (photo © Veganosity).

[4] Hummus canapés a.k.a. “bites”: different flavors of hummus with different toppings (photo © Lantana Products).

[5] Hummus sushi with arugula, carrots, cucumber, and red bell pepper. Here’s how to make your own. (photo © Sweet Potato Soul).

[6] Hummus tacos. Here’s the recipe, along with hummus nachos, from Mountain Mama Cooks.

In addition to the Big Three, regional players expanded nationally: Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods, Hope Foods, Lakeview Farms, Lantana Foods. Regional players in the Northeast alone include Boar’s Head, Esti, Fresh Cravings, and Joseph’s. Store brands became a big part of national sales.

And there’s still room for artisan producers, which using dried chickpeas instead of canned, extra virgin olive oil instead of canola/vegetable oil, high tahini-to-chickpea ratios, and a focus on texture (e.g. ultra-smooth or uniquely thick).

In our grocer, we can pick from Abraham’s, CAVA, Ithaca, Roots, and Little Abraham, which grew out of a popular hummus shop in Washington, D.C.

A true artisan product, they focus on regenerative agriculture (sourcing chickpeas from specific organic farms in Montana) and a small-batch production, for consumers who view hummus as a specialty craft food rather than a mass-market staple.
 

[9] Commercial brands tend to be very smooth, but if you prefer a chunky style, it’s so easy to toss chickpeas and tahini into a food processor or blender (photo © Bush’s Beans).
 
 
Can You Think Of A Flavor That Doesn’t Exist Yet?

And the flavors! By July 2011, mainstream lifestyle media was already describing hummus as coming in “dozens of surprising flavors, from artichoke to chocolate.”

Flavor proliferation became a core growth driver in the category—a seemingly endless variety of flavors and styles that tempt consumers.

First there were Middle-Eastern-related flavors: Artichoke, Garlic, Red Pepper, Spinach, Za’atar.

Beyond classic plain, “basic lines” can now be said to include Caramelized Onion, Chipotle, Cilantro, Harissa, Jalapeño, Kalamata Olive, Pesto, Roasted Garlic, Roasted Pine Nut, Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato Basil, and Sundried Tomato.

Chocolate hummus (photo below) is used as a dessert but is also a sweet dip and a frosting substitute.
 

[10] Chocolate hummus can be a dessert, snack, filling, or frosting. Here they’re served with cinnamon pita chips. Stacey’s makes them, and you can make your own in a toaster oven (photo © SAJJ Mediterranean).
 
Limited-time flavors pop up, from trending flavors like Everything Bagel to seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Americans have their choice.

More fusion flavors include Chimichurri, Edamame, Guacamole, Lemongrass Chili, Ranch, and Sriracha/Thai Chili.
 
 
Beyond the “Basics”

As American cooks have riffed on the original recipe, hummus first became flavored. New ones seem to appear monthly to keep customers interested, often as limited editions that may then become permanent parts of the line.

At home, we top plain hummus with whatever we’re in the mood for: Beet, Carrot, Cucumber Yogurt, Horseradish, Minced Lamb (from a store-bought lamburger).

 

[11] Whether store-bought or homemade, blend carrot puree into hummus and garnish with roasted carrots or carrot chips (photo © Seed + Mill | Facebook).
 
Hummus Evolves Without Chickpeas

The Eat Well hummus brand pioneered the use of other legumes and pulses* in a supermarket brand, with spreads made from:

 
The sophisticated flavors of these “other bean hummus” varieties, all part of the Mediterranean Diet, provide wonderful alternatives to classic hummus.

Like chickpeas, beans and legumes contribute protein, fiber, and healthy (monounsaturated) fat, low in sodium, and cholesterol free.

Another innovation was to add Greek yogurt to classic chickpea hummus. It lowers the fat by 50% and the calories by 33%.

Other brands followed suit, and now these variations can be found in markets nationwide.

You can also use flavored olive oil instead of plain; add another layer of flavor with nut oil (almond, hazelnut, walnut, etc.).
 

[12] Yellow lentil hummus, no chickpeas, served with crudités and baked eggplant chips (photo © Salt & Honey Catering).
 
 
BEYOND A DIP AND SPREAD: OTHER USES FOR HUMMMUS

Hummus is way more versatile than people might imagine. It behaves like a sauce, fat, binder, and purée all in one.

Beyond snacking with flatbreads, vegetables, or chips, you can use hummus in every meal of the day. Use it in its paste form, or dilute it into a sauce with olive oil.

 

[13] Fusion food: Middle Eastern pizza with hummus, kalamata olives, and feta. Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).
 
 
25+ MORE HUMMUS RECIPES

 
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*The term pulse is used for crops harvested solely for the dry seed, such as lentils; as opposed to green peas, which are eaten fresh like vegetable crops, and can be eaten in younger forms, e.g. pea shoots.

†The Levant is an English term that first appeared in 1497. It originally referred to the “Mediterranean lands east of Italy.” The historical area comprises modern-day Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. Among other popular foods, Levantine cuisine gave birth to baklava, falafel, kebabs, mezze (including tabbouleh, hummus, and baba ghanoush), pita and za’atar, among other dishes that are enjoyed in the U.S. and around the world.

The name derives from the French levant, meaning “rising” or “the east”, referencing the rising sun. By the late Middle Ages, European merchants and travelers used it to describe the eastern Mediterranean, particularly areas under Ottoman rule that were important for commerce. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the term became institutionalized through the French Compagnie du Levant and English Levant Company, both chartered to regulate trade with the Ottoman Empire. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Orientalist scholarship further entrenched the term as a geographical and cultural designation, though its exact scope remained ambiguous. Today, while less common in political geography, the term persists in archaeological discourse and in historiography dealing with ancient and medieval eastern Mediterranean societies [source].
 

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