Hummus and History

There are two topics which rank the oldest to study about in human history: religion and food.

In regards to food, hummus is thought to be one of the oldest staples in man's history of consumption. About.com and Helium states that it dates back to Ancient Egypt. Other websites say that its origins are much older. While we may not know when exactly and where exactly it was first invented, we know that it's an old recipe tried and true.

The basic element of hummus is cooked and pureed chickpeas. Follow that up with one or more of these ingredients:

~lemon juice
~sesame paste (tahini)
~olive oil
~ garlic

From there you can blend all kinds of seasonings and spices. The list of combinations is as great as the maker's imagination. Try something crazy, like cinnamon with something else (cooked and pureed sweet potato? Freshly chopped apple?) You can look up a plethora of recipes online, or you can be bold and make your own. The point is to not limit yourself. Many people have thrown a recipe together while fighting against the cultural norm of food, but after doing so, their concoction was widely accepted because of its deliciousness. So don't be hurt if people don't accept your idea off the bat. People in general seem to be xenophobic in regards to their food. Give them time to warm up. :)

Unless you make something disgusting, like Lard & Raisin Hummus. That's just gross. Some hummus ideas are big no-nos. :(

Finally, did you know that hummus is the Arabic word and garbanzo the Spanish word for Chickpea? Fascinating, isn't it? It's the little things you learn that make you smart around the water cooler at work.

~The Harvest Crier~

Foodview: Turkey & Apple Sandwich

Having apple on a sandwich has always something I was leery about. I mean, it's an apple! It belongs on a chopping board with a jar of peanut butter on the side, right? How could you even think about putting it in the context of two pieces of bread? Well, I've heard rumors that apples and cheese go well together, and when I found out that my favorite kind of cheese, swiss, was included in the ingredients of this scrumptious sandwich, I decided that it probably wasn't too bad.

"Not too bad," does the Turkey & Apple no justice. It was actually... great! It was pleasantly complex in its conglomeration of  flavors. You could fully taste the soft and shredded turkey breast copiously stuffed in the sandwich. You could satisfyingly taste the swiss cheese and the layer of apple strategically placed next to each other in the sandwich, thus making a to-die-for combination of flavors which hit your palate on the same time. A final touch of character is added to it when one tastes its sweetly homemade honey mustard which goes satisfyingly well with the tender turkey and toasted whole wheat bread. Add to this some lettuce and sprouts and you have the beautifully made Turkey & Apple.

Definitely try some apple and swiss cheese together on its own if you haven't already. It's good, but its only a sliver of the experience you'll get with this sandwich. The highlight of the sandwich is that it takes some very simple household ingredients (Wheat toast, honey mustard, turkey breast, apple, swiss cheese, lettuce, and sprouts) and ingeniously mixes them into a party of potent flavors. The flavors aren't overpowering, but bold and rich.
It held more turkey in it than I imagined, and therefore was satisfying. It wasn't overly filling like its bigger brother, the West of Philly Beef, but it did hit the spot.

~The Harvest Crier~