Hummus, a delicacy of the Middle East. It is a traditional Arab food consisting mainly of chickpeas. We are both hummus enthusiasts and hope to share our love of hummus with our fellow Hilltopper  staff members (disclaimer: this does not mean we are good at making hummus). This resulted in us celebrating our love of the dish by sharing our hummus in addition to some name-brand ones with The Hilltopper staff and some special teachers.

Despite our best attempts, our hummus-making was not as amazing as we expected it to be. We relied on our common sense and prior experiences with this dish, which ultimately lead to a bland, flavorless hummus. We were not prepared with the correct ingredients and measurements that are needed to make tasty hummus. Our hummus-making experience was unsuccessful for many reasons. For starters, since we did not have lemons, we used limes instead. We did not think this would make a difference, but the results showed that the limes were a little too bitter for the delicate flavor of the hummus. Also, we had no proper measurements of our hummus ingredients. We dumped the whole container of the tahini Ayah’s mom gave to us into the blender, which created an overwhelming taste. In addition, we did not properly blend the hummus, which meant that the texture wasn’t as smooth as it could’ve been. We had to scoop out the chickpeas that still remained after blending them. Unfortunately, we had no more chickpea cans and limes, so the hummus had to be finished.

We had our Hilltopper members taste test a variety of hummus from different locations (including Isha’s kitchen) and decide which one was the best.

Let the hummus wars begin!

The first hummus tasted was from Trader Joe’s. This hummus received positive feedback in general. Sejal mentioned that this hummus tasted “creamy” and had the “smoothest flavor overall.” Ivan mentioned that “it was not as grainy as the homemade and it was not as tangy as Sabra’s.” Mr. Diaz commented that it “tasted natural.”

The second hummus that was tested was from Shoprite. This hummus did not receive much feedback and the reviews were not overly positive or negative. 

The third hummus tested is Sabra, arguably the most well-known hummus company in the market. This hummus received the majority of positive reviews and people had a lot to comment. Miranda mentioned that she preferred Sabra because it “had a stronger saltier flavor and better texture. It is the perfect texture.” Divya mentioned that Sabra had the “most spice and most flavor” as well as having the “right consistency” because it was “not too grainy” and “not too creamy.” Mrs. Calzone remarked that “Sabria is salty” and Ms. Santucci was torn between choosing homemade hummus and Sabra. Ms. Yaeger found Sabra to be “too artificial and prefers homemade.” 

Lastly, the homemade hummus surprisingly received mixed reviews, but they were mostly negative.  Miranda  found the homemade hummus to be “too grainy” and that “even hot sauce couldn’t save this.” Sejal commented that it was her “least favorite because it was “too sour.” Carolyn said it was “chunky” and “lacked flavor.” 

All in all, the winner of the hummus wars is … the Trader Joe’s! This hummus had the perfect texture with a muted yet delicious flavor. Though it was the official winner, our homemade hummus will always be a winner in our hearts, since it was made with love.