Most hummuses that branch out from a conventional traditional hummus are overconfident, arrogant even.
I think it must take a thorough grounding in hummusness to effectively branch out. Like learning to crawl before you can run, knowing how to make a solid traditional hummus…or at least being deeply aquatinted with them is a prerequisite to making a niche hummus.
Too many make feeble attempts at fancy hummuses who clearly lack the necessary pedigree.
My wife and I stumbled into Obour Hummus on a family trip to the Bay Area and the San Mateo farmers market.
I tried a handful of flavors and ended up buying a jar of the traditional hummus.
I don’t tend to be a fan of the fancy, unconventionally flavored hummus because, for the most part, they’re not done well. And being a hummus connoisseur of habit I settled on the classic. But while at the market we sampled some of the other flavors.
They were all delicious and on a return trip to the San Mateo farmers market I’d summon up the courage to take home a different flavor.
Obour hummus is hands down the best organic hummus I’ve ever had. That alone makes me happy. I’d mentioned previously having lost hope in finding a hummus that was both organic and knew what it was doing by being hummus.
The other flavors all had distinct and delicious balances of spices and personalities. I don’t know how else to describe them other than they felt right and made me feel like I was tasting hummus that knew what it was doing. They respected what made hummus hummus, grounded in tradition, while trying something bold and different than what its ancestors had maybe had the means or the wherewithal to accomplish.
I have full respect for Obour hummus. I won’t even go into talking about consistency and balance of flavors because it’s not about that.
This is the hummus of a master that needs to be experienced, enjoyed and appreciated and I look forward to taking home a more adventurous flavor on my next run in with Obour.
Hats off.
10 out of 10.
The Hummus 