The mystery of Greek hummus

Five days into our Greece vacation and you won’t hear any complaints about the food. It is savory and delicious, and there’s plenty of variety – from souvlaki, kebabs, roast chicken and lamb, eggplant, zucchini, okra, feta, Greek salads and pita. And let’s not forget about dessert – delightful concoctions like baklava made from phlyo dough, nuts and honey. But one food has eluded us in our travels so far….hummus. Search as we may hummus is not to be found on any menu.

I can’t seem to wrap my head around the idea that true Greeks don’t eat hummus. It’s on every Greek restaurant menu in the states. The American Greeks seem to claim it as their own – an authentic Greek food staple. So where is hummus in Greece?

With three days left in Greece till we head to Italy, I plan to get to the bottom of this mystery. Do you have any idea where the hummus could be hiding?

Ginger Leigh

5 responses to “The mystery of Greek hummus”

  1. Tricia Avatar
    Tricia

    interesting…hmmmmmmm?????

    Reply
  2. Sue Lackey Avatar
    Sue Lackey

    Probably similar to Italian and American pizza…not similar at all except dough and sauce.

    Reply
  3. JezVonSavage Avatar
    JezVonSavage

    That’s really interesting! Here (in the UK), Houmous is generally thought of as a Middle Eastern thing. I’ve never had it served to me in a Greek restaurant, although you will come across it in a Turkish one- maybe that’s what caused the confusion?

    Reply
    1. Ginger Leigh Avatar
      Ginger Leigh

      Yes – that’s my guess too. Still not sure why they serve it all Greek restaurants in the states though!

      Reply
      1. JezVonSavage Avatar
        JezVonSavage

        I suppose it depends where the majority of Greek-Americans descended from. I imagine Cypriot cuisuine might feature more hummus given the Turkish culture prevalent on the Island, if one Cypriot started serving it in their Greek restaurant in the States it might have just caught on!

        In Liverpool, most Greek descendents are from the island of Chios and use a different variety of Loukanika in their mezze than what you might get in a London where more of the Greek population is Cypriot. I suopose all of the islands have their own cuisine, hence why I’d like to get around as many of them as possible!

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