Equipped with ladles, spoons and pepper, Israel’s culinary attack against Lebanon comes in the form of a delicious blend of chickpeas and spices. Just months after Lebanon broke the Israeli record for largest bowl of hummus, Arab-Israeli Juwdat Ibrahim doubled the Lebanese effort, creating 9,017 pounds (4,090 kilograms) of the regional specialty. Representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records flew out on Friday to confirm the record. Said Ibrahim, “I am happy that through hummus, we can change the subject of the Middle East conflict. Fighting over food is much better than fighting over anything else.”
Of course, no one can cook four tons of hummus by themselves; Ibrahim was aided by hundreds of volunteers of the small town of Abu Gosh, where he owns a restaurant. The Arab village, located near Jerusalem, is a Mecca for hummus enthusiasts, where Christians, Jews and Muslims gather to put down their arms and take up a pita. It has been estimated that 10,000 pitas will be needed to finish the dish.
For anyone wondering why on earth all of this is necessary, this is what Ibrahim had to say: “I am saying to people in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt: I know the situation is complicated because there is no peace, but I would love it to happen one day, that we can cook one plate of hummus — about 10,000 tons — to share with the whole Middle East.”
Lebanon is already planning to one-up Israel’s record this spring. When will this cycle of violence stop? I don’t know, but it sounds delicious.
Bar Refaeli Reveals Her Favorite Spot in Israel (Hint, They Serve Hummus)
In an interview with Esquire magazine, the Israeli supermodel and arm-candy of Leonardo DiCaprio (or is it the other way around?) reveals just where to get the best hummus in the land of hummus.
“Every time I come home, and every time before I leave, I invite all my friends and I get hummus from this little shack in Tel Aviv called Baadunas. They only have seven tables, and all they serve is three types of hummus — one that’s just normal, one that has fava beans on top, and then one that’s mixed with tahini. It’s the freshest thing you can have. This guy has owned the place for more than 25 years and wakes up at 4:00 every morning to make the hummus, and it closes at 2:00 P.M., because everything is sold out. It leaves me with a taste of home. A friend told me about this great hummus place in L.A., and then I go and I’m like, Are you kidding me? It doesn’t compare.”
If you want to read the rest, and see some tantalizing pictures (not of the hummus variety), go out and pick up Esquire’s Big Black Book, Spring 2011 edition on newsstands now.
