Hummus Wars, Part 83

If you've been following this blog you know that the Lebanese seem to view it as a matter of utmost national importance to establish hummus as being of Lebanese in origin. They've filed lawsuits trying to gain legal recognition of this assertion, and a few months ago the largest bowl of hummus ever was made by a group of Lebanese chefs. Well...it’s not the biggest bowl anymore…

A group of chefs in the Arab town of Abu Gosh, just outside of Jerusalem, have made a bowl of hummus twice as big as the previous Lebanese record holder. If you thought that this would definitively end the hummus wars, you would be wrong. Word has already leaked that the Lebanese are planning an even bigger bowl of hummus. I only hope one day that the issue of which country has the bigger bowl of hummus is the main diplomatic row between the two countries.

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Hummus Wars, Part 83

The hummus controversy continues!

The regional fight over the national bragging rights to hummus has continued in force this week. The AP wrote an article about a bowl of hummus made in Lebanon that is apparently the largest ever made. The article was printed all over place and you can see it here, here, here, and here!

(Associated Press)

The driving factor behind the decision to make such a mammoth amount of hummus seems to be the Lebanese desire to claim hummus as their own, and to make it clear that it is most definitely not Israeli.

Why is it that the Lebanese feel so passionate about this issue? I have no doubt that the historical conflict with Israel is a large reason, but I think there's more to it. In Israel we have trademark rights protecting Jaffa oranges. The French are trying to have UNESCO recognize french cuisine as part of the world's cultural heritage. All over the world there are strong feelings over traditional dishes. Food is an important part of each person's cultural identity, and I think we're seeing this reflected in that enormous 2 ton bowl of hummus.

The hummus controversy continues!

Copyright infringment on hummus?

It appears that if the Lebanese get their way hummus will be legally a Lebanese national dish. This article in Britain's Telegraph newspaper details the legal appeal by an association of Lebanese industrialists to the European Union to afford hummus a protected status. They claim that hummus is of Lebanese origin and that Israeli companies have unfairly profited by selling the dish to the world claiming it to be a typical Israeli dish.

I know that Jaffa oranges have certain intellectual property rights as well as mangoes from certain regions and whole host of other foods. But hummus??!! Chickpeas/garbanzo beans have grown in a variety of countries for hundreds if not thousands of years. I don't think it belongs to any region or national cuisine. The variety of kinds of hummus is one of the things I like about it so much. Even within in Israel you have different flavors depending on the region. I find it difficult to believe this Lebanese group could prove that hummus is in fact native to Lebanon as well as satisfy the myriad of other legal hurdles required to obtain the special status on their hummus. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, I'm pretty sure I know what I'll be having for lunch.

Copyright infringment on hummus?