Msabbaha

Msabbaha
Alternative names Musabbaha, mashausha
Course Hors d'oeuvre
Main ingredients Chickpeas, cumin, parsley, lemon juice
Cookbook:Msabbaha  Msabbaha

Msabbaha (Arabic: مسبحة, also romanized musabbaha, lit. meaning "swimming") is a variation of hummus popular in the Levant.[1] In the Galilee it is also known as mashausha.[2]

Ingredients

The main difference between msabbaha and hummus is the texture. In contrast with hummus, the chickpeas here remain whole.[3] Like hummus, it is eaten with fresh pita bread.

The base of the dish is balila: warm cooked chickpeas in their own water with a little added cumin, chopped parsley and lemon juice. Pine nuts fried in olive oil or samneh (clarified butter) are sometimes poured over the balila.[1] Other ingredients include tahini and minced garlic.

A variation of msabbaha popular in Damascus today serves chickpeas and tahina with melted butter, pomegranate or lemon juice, and pistachios or pine nuts.[4] In Israeli restaurants, where it is known as masabacha, a hot sauce is sometimes served on the side; it is often considered a "gourmet" version of hummus by Israelis who buy the latter prepackaged.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sufian Mustafa (June 2003). "Sons of Hummus" (PDF). This Week in Palestine. p. 43. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  2. Gil Marks (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Wiley. ISBN 9780470943540.
  3. Shooky Galili (May 31, 2007). "Land of hummus and pita (a hummus glossary)". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  4. James Grehan (2007). Everyday life & consumer culture in 18th-century Damascus. University of Washington Press. p. 107. ISBN 9780295801636.
  5. Haim Handworker (May 12, 2004). זה לא סתם חומוס, זה הומוס [This isn't just hummus, this is hummus]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2008-03-07.