“…I do not know when hummus became an essential component of the Israeli Independence Day barbecue or picnic. No barbecue or picnic meal is complete unless it includes good hummus, preferably bought from an Arab village passed on the way to the celebration. The food of those taken as outsiders to the national collective or its potential enemies kosherizes the holiday meal of those responsible for the Nakba. Its usage for celebratory purposes marks the Jews’ accountability not only for the confiscation of Palestinian land, but also for obliterating a Palestinian culinary culture by monopolizing the food that has come to stand for Palestinian cuisine.”
‘On the Hummus Route,’ pg. 225, from an essay by Prof. Liora Gvion, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and the author of the book ‘Beyond Hummus and Falafel: Social and Cultural Aspects of Palestinian Food in Israel’
Photo: Eilon Paz
