Storebought Hummus?
I've only tried Hummus twice. (Just so you know, the hummus they serve in the vegetarian meals at Medeival Times is TO DIE FOR).
I'm sure the way to go to get GOOD hummus is to make it myself.
I recently bought Marzetti brand hummus at my local grocery store and it tasted incredibly sour. Has anyone else ever tried this kind and what did you think of it? Any recommendations next time I buy some?
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36 Comments:
I've never tried Marzetti brand - but Sabra brand hummus is by far the best store bought hummus around. The roasted pine nut is my favorite.
sobriquet at 6:15PM on 07/26/08
I'd seek out a local brand that is made fresh.
e.g. Here in Minneapolis we have Holy Land Bakery & Deli which supplies local ethnic grocers & neighborhood markets with flat breads, hummus, baba ganoush, olives, etc....I buy their brand of tahini for making my own hummus.
What is best about their products is that they are higher quality, and less expensive than mainstream store brands.
Search online or in the phone directory (or ask around) to see what you have locally.
2qrs at 6:46PM on 07/26/08
I don't think sour hummus is a good thing, either.
I agree with Sabra being tasty. We bought ours at Costco bc they were giving out samples. Simply addictive, which makes me think that it has to be incredibly fattenning. I froze some (used the foodsaver) and was surprised to find that it froze well.
wookie at 6:56PM on 07/26/08
Sabra! Sabra! Yaaaaaay!
The Roasted Garlic for choice.
annien at 8:00PM on 07/26/08
I only buy hummus when I am starting on a diet, so take this for what it is worth. Look for loads of garlic in it, and add your own salt so that you aren't totally cranky about the new snack that you would have discovered YEARS ago if it was really all that tastey.
annette at 8:24PM on 07/26/08
I LOVE Bobbi's hummus - they usually sell it at Whole Foods but if they've sold out then i usually buy whole foods brand!
emlod10 at 8:25PM on 07/26/08
Honestly, I don't really like Sabra. The first time I had it, I thought it was very bitter and not palatable. But that's just my opinion.
It could be because I am used to (and love) Tribe hummus, particularly the Roasted Red Pepper flavor. It's delicious used as a dip for crackers, pretzels, and my favorite--with fresh bread. MMm, it's making my mouth water just thinking about it :)
I would definitely recommend trying this brand (and, for the health-conscious, it's a bit lower in calories and in fat than Sabra).
I do agree though, that homemade would probably be best, though I've never made any of my own to test the theory :)
luswim06 at 8:33PM on 07/26/08
Love, Love, Bobbi's hummus. The best if you aren't making it yourself!
izatryt at 8:35PM on 07/26/08
I don't know if it's Trader Joe's brand, but Trader Joe has some very tasty hummus for fairly cheap. There are a variety of choices also.
PumpkinBear at 9:00PM on 07/26/08
Tribe and Trader Joe's make the best!
...that is, if you are not getting hummus from The Hummus Place. =)
pbisNOTmyname at 9:20PM on 07/26/08
I don't know if this is available everywhere, but there's a local company, Aladdin's, that has restaurants and makes pitas and hummus for sale at grocery stores. I may be mistaken of their association though. Their hummus is pretty good (not sour). I have had some hummus that's been a bit on the sour side too at some restaurants. Guess too much lemon juice. It may be regional variance of the recipe...?
I was poking around online and stumbled onto a blog dedicated to hummus (!) The Hummus Blog.
Cassaendra at 9:23PM on 07/26/08
Thanks everyone for all of the helpful replies!
This was my first thread, and I'm very excited to try some of your recommendations!
EatingVirgo at 10:02PM on 07/26/08
It's insanely easy to make, and cheap, too. If you want to start from the beginning, you can buy dried chickpeas and cook them, or just start with a can. Add some salt, some olive oil, and whatever spices and flavors you want. I like it with roasted red pepper. Garlic is nice. Experiment and see what you like. A can of chickpeas is a cheap investment.
A hint of sesame oil works if you don't have tahini and don't want to be grinding sesame seeds.
For me, the tahini is always the iffy part. Some of the storebought stuff is just bitter. And then you're stuck with this tahini that maybe you don't have another use for. A few drops of sesame oil, or better yet, toasted sesame oil, and it's fine with me. Or toasted peanut oil. That's quite tasty, too.
dbcurrie at 10:06PM on 07/26/08
I love the plain Meza brand hummus at Costco. It's delicious, creamy and so easy.
Kimberlee at 10:16PM on 07/26/08
Tribe! Choices: roasted red pepper, olive, spicy 3 pepper (and it is spicy!), roasted garlic, and more - so many to choose from. I am all about making it myself from scratch, but I think Tribe is hard to beat!
erinlovestoeat at 12:52AM on 07/27/08
I'm with the Sabra people - delish.
When I get a cheaper brand of hummus and it's rank, I sometimes try re-processing it in the cuisinart with some decent olive oil. The olive oil emulsifies in it, and adds fat and richness, which can cut through the (in my opinion) sometimes overly pasty and acidic quality some brands can have.
BangieB at 1:37AM on 07/27/08
Idont think i've ever has store bought hummus, i'm blessed to have a local resteraunt/coffee shop that makes their own and will sell it seperately. the few times i've made my own it was really tasty but not as good as theirs, and they wont give out the secret :-(
huneybumper at 8:53AM on 07/27/08
@huney ~ We have 2 local restaurants that make incredible hummus. It is hard to resist stopping by to get it, and I can't duplicate it.
izatryt at 9:17AM on 07/27/08
@izatryt its frustrating isnt it? I've got their tzaki down but the hummus is just plain perfect!
huneybumper at 11:12AM on 07/27/08
@Huney ~ Just yesterday I was looking at tzaki recipes and none of them looked like they would be a good replacement for the tzaki I get at the same restaurant as the hummus. Care to share?
izatryt at 11:44AM on 07/27/08
Is it tzatziki you're referring to? I haven't made it in 5+ years so I don't recall the exact recipe, but IIRC all I did was dice cucumbers and mix with strained Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, mint or dill, and olive oil. It was pretty good.
Never got around to making hummus, since my husband hates chickpeas; although he loves to eat and cooks a diverse menu of traditional Greek entrees and mezes. He doesn't care for Lebanese food.
Cassaendra at 12:20PM on 07/27/08
@Cassaendra ~ Yes. I don't like mint or dill and the place near me makes it with another herb that I can't identify and they won't spill. Any ideas?
izatryt at 1:06PM on 07/27/08
@izatryt, could it just be parsley? It would be good that way. I make tzatziki, or some variation of it, with dill or mint or parsley. It makes me pretty happy.
@annette, I'm shocked that hummus is punishment for you. I eat it weekly because I like it so much. I forgot to pick some up at the grocery this week and I'm very sad about it. Don't have any tahini or lemons to make some either.
blackolive at 1:17PM on 07/27/08
I've found several good brands in stores, but if you want to make your own, you should try it! It's so easy (throw everything into a food processor, press the button, and you're done!), and after you start out using a recipe your first time, you can adjust the proportions of the ingredients so that it's exactly to your liking!
I'm actually kind of a hummus fiend--my first year of college I'm pretty sure that I ate hummus with raw carrots, peas, and broccoli for just about every meal I ate in the dining hall (thank god I moved out of housing asap! I couldn't stand not being able to cook for myself!), and I always keep the ingredients on hand so I can make it whenever I want!
ChristineB at 1:52PM on 07/27/08
trader joe's hummus !
Frantic foodie at 8:24AM on 07/28/08
@izatryt try using parsley oil;-) makes a world of difference, i also shred the cucumber and add that to the drained yogurt to replace the moisture.
huneybumper at 10:03AM on 07/28/08
There are so many different kinds of hummus out there. Sabra is supposed to be good, but I actually adore the cheaper brand Tribe's 40 spice hummus! Sooo flavorful!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 3:00PM on 07/28/08
mmmmm...the red chili hummus from Trader Joe's is AMAZING. Slightly smoky and spicy.
Pammeh at 3:27PM on 07/28/08
sabra hands down. not a fan of the tribe ones except for the 40 spice.
sloppy at 5:12PM on 07/28/08
Sabra is the smoothest, creamiest and tastiest hummus. And they have the widest variety of flavors. I love "jalapino" or "supremely spicy." Sabra is definitely the best.
SavtaShayna at 5:18PM on 07/28/08
Trader Joe's hummus is my favorite to purchase. I was buying Sabra hummus at Costco for quite a while, but then got tired of it. I think TJ's has a truer hummus flavor.
lucylucy at 9:22AM on 08/04/08
When I got the T. Marzetti's hummus I noted it was "Hummus vegetable dip and not just hummus. It was like... hummus + veggie dip like ranch or something. It was pretty bad, though I imagine there's someone out there who would be into it. It just doesn't take like hummus AT ALL! I like Sabra okay, but I also like Cedar's, and Tribe.
nycfoodchic at 3:05PM on 05/18/09
Sabra Original Hummus with Tahini and Sabra or Tribe Jalapeno Hummus.
nithya at hungrydesi at 3:25PM on 05/18/09
I like Tribe brand - either original, lemon or roasted garlic!
Amandarama at 3:31PM on 05/18/09
My parents who grew up with hummus as basically a food group swear that Sabra is the only store-bought that really hits the spot.
veggieout at 3:35PM on 05/18/09
I'm a die-hard Sabra fan. It's creamy and well-seasoned and is the closest to what I've had in Israel. The other kinds have been tried and rejected. Just this weekend I had lemon, hummus with techina, with toasted pine nuts, and greek olive. Soooooo good. And if you can find it Sabra makes this fantastic eggplant tomato dip.
Stufsocker at 4:42PM on 05/18/09