Today marks International Hummus Day, and to celebrate, Elad Ravid, Marketing Manager of Strauss Fresh Foods, shares with us the most Israeli food which has gained international momentum and describes the project that changed the Israeli perception about packaged hummus.

This week, the world is marking International Hummus Day. A growing number of publications show how the hummus trend is conquering the world and highlights its taste qualities and fine ingredients. In keeping with this trend, we recently inaugurated Sabra's new innovation center in Virginia.     It is precisely with this background that we can feel proud about the starting point of hummus. Right here, among us, and on a daily basis, 7 out 10 Israelis eat hummus and other ready-made dips and spreads as daily features on our plate. With almost 70 million cups of hummus and dips sold each year in Israel, this food category is consistently the seventh-largest segment in the Israeli food and beverage market, with no contest about the place of hummus in our local food culture.   While children prefer eating hummus as a spread in school sandwiches, teenagers already prepare themselves hummus dishes spiced with a "personal statement" (from herbs and olive oil to more original extras), and older people discover the more sophisticated hummus (rich in tahini with a smooth texture) along with a whole range of eggplant, roast peppers, tahini and cauliflower dips as a perfect addition to every meal.   From the perspective of our Achla hummus brand, and as partners in the production of local hummus, this powerful connection to people comes with great responsibility. First and foremost, a responsibility to consumers - the taste and variety experience, nutritional composition and product quality. All these focus the attention of our QA, development and innovation teams, engineers and other employees.   And yet, another responsibility comes into play here. Responsibility for those who have shared the growth and production processes with us throughout the years – tahini suppliers, herb producers, vegetable growers and, of course, chickpeas growers.   Since each of our hummus products contains at least 51% cooked chickpeas (combined with raw tahini, garlic and spices to form the final recipe), one can’t overestimate its importance when determining the final flavor and texture of hummus. Growing chickpeas requires knowledge and expertise, and therefore, the work carried out by farmers with our agronomists and experts is important. Since such collaboration is not self-evident, we greatly appreciate the farmers who work with us to this end. In previous posts, Yaron Bornstein, of the Achla development team, provided more information about the ingredients and nutritional benefits of our hummus.   Last Independence Day (which created many outdoor picnics – a typical hummus occasion) saw another development. Along with pride in our own hummus and in farmers who gain recognition, came the decision that there had to be another angle to this story. We felt that store-bought packaged hummus was perceived as a kind of a compromise compared to freshly-made hummus at a hummus bar. I should point out that while fresh hummus is an indulging delicious experience, the pre-packed alternative is a worthy, delicious option that can be fun as well (and therefore so popular in Israel). And so, in a nutshell, this is how "Avi's hummus" concept was born.     In the very first days, when we served our hummus slightly heated and garnished with whole chickpeas and olive oil, we wanted to share the story with as many people as possible, so that they, too, could have, very easily and on a daily basis, tasty hummus with their own choice of herbs and plating, and hoped for the best.   We set up "Avi's Hummus", a small hummus bar in Tel Aviv that served Achla-brand hummus dishes which didn’t undergo any change except for slight heating with extras: olive oil / whole chickpeas / chopped parsley. The payment method we introduced - "pay to taste" - enabled diners to decide how delicious their hummus was and pay accordingly (or not pay at all). The customer’s did not know that they were eating Achla-brand hummus until after the meal. As the days passed, we came to realize how enjoyable our encounters with diners were, savoring their positive feedback and good hummus conversation that developed.     Most diners chose to pay nicely- over NIS 20 per serving, and all proceeds were donated to "Fat Meir's Kitchen", a wonderful feeding initiative that we have accompanied for years. The "behind the scenes" recordings have already been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, and additional videos showing how to prepare home-made hummus dishes received great feedback. We hope that the developing conversation enabled us to diminish the sense of compromise and demonstrate how good ingredients and good people can create excellent hummus, which is has long become a part of our daily life.