An ancient recipe of hummus dating back to the 13th century, enriched with a blend of nuts, seeds, and herbs, and a hint of preserved lemon.
Medieval Hummus
This recipe, an ancestor of modern hummus, has its roots dating back at least as far as the 13th century, as the Iraqi food historian Nawal Nasrallah writes on her blog, My Iraqi Kitchen. Adapted by Lucien Zayan, a Frenchman of Egyptian and Syrian descent, this hummus recipe involves boiling chickpeas until their skins loosen and they reveal themselves as tender little hulks with souls of butter. Then, they are mashed in a swirl of tahini, olive oil, vinegar, spices and herbs, and folded in a crush of nuts, seeds and preserved lemon, sour-bright and tasting of aged sun. Notably absent from the recipe is garlic. Here, instead, the nuts — Mr. Zayan uses hazelnuts, for more butteriness, and pistachios, with their hint of camphor — fortify the chickpeas in their earthy heft, so close to the richness of meat.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup raw hazelnuts
- 1½ tablespoons caraway seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1½ teaspoons sesame seeds
- ¼ cup shelled roasted unsalted pistachios
- 5 mint leaves
- 1 small sprig tarragon, leaves only
- 3½ cups cooked drained chickpeas (homemade from 8 ounces dried chickpeas or from two 15-ounce cans chickpeas)
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste (see Tip)
- ½ tablespoon ground sumac, plus more for sprinkling
- 1½ teaspoons rice vinegar
- Salt
- ½ cup ice-cold water
Directions
- In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the hazelnuts, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and the skins begin to split, 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. When cool, gently rub off the skins and discard.
- Using the same pan, toast the caraway, coriander and sesame seeds, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool slightly (the seeds will continue to toast).
- Add the toasted hazelnuts and the pistachios to a food processor and pulse until they release their oils and make a compact paste, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mint and tarragon and pulse to combine.
- Add the chickpeas to the mixture in the food processor, reserving a handful for garnish. Then add the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, the toasted seeds, sumac, rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Start pulsing and gradually add the ice water, splash by splash, until creamy and smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt, as desired.
- Spoon the hummus onto a plate. (If you like, use a piping bag and experiment with different tips for an artful presentation.) Drizzle with olive oil, dust with sumac and finish with a few chickpeas on top.
- Instead of lemon juice, Lucien Zayan uses half of a preserved lemon (preferably made with minimal salt) and adds a splash of its liquid along with the ice water.
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