Hummus is a dip/spread that is made from chickpeas. In fact, hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea. You may notice that many hummus recipes call for garbanzo beans, not chickpeas. Don’t worry, garbanzo is the Spanish translation of chickpea. They are called cece beans in Italy.

Hummus is one of the oldest foods dating back to ancient Egypt. We know that chickpeas were used quite frequently over 7,000 years ago.

Ingredients:

1. 200g/7oz canned chickpeas
2. 2 tbsp lemon juice or more
3. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
4. 1 tsp ground cumin
5. Salt
6. 100ml/3½fl oz tahini (sesame seed paste) optional
7. 4 tbsp water
8. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
9. 1 tsp paprika
10. 4 rounds of pitta bread

Preparation:

1. Drain the chickpeas and rinse. Reserve a few whole chick peas for serving.
2. Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water in a food processor, and blend to a creamy puree.
3. Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste. Turn out into a dinner plate, and make smooth with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with the reserved chickpeas.
4. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with pita bread, warmed in a moderate oven for three minutes, and cut into quarters.