The 2nd hummus war
After Israel doubles Lebanon's Guinness Record with four tons of chickpeas dish in one plate, Lebanese tourism minister vows to beat record with even bigger plate of hummus this spring
This "hummus war" broke out following the Guinness record Israel broke in October 2008 with 400 kilograms of hummus in one plate, angering the Lebanese. Revenge followed about a year later: Lebanon broke the Israeli record by preparing two tons of hummus. The Israelis did not despair, and about two weeks ago they doubled the amount of hummus created by the Lebanese, putting four tons of hummus prepared by an Abu Gosh chef into one plate.
After the record was broken
, Lebanese Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud said his country was up for the challenge and plans to beat the new record with an even bigger hummus plate this spring. The event is scheduled to be held at the Fatima Gate, near the Israel-Lebanon border.
The Lebanese hummus "claim" is not a new thing. The culinary battle heated up after Israeli companies began marketing hummus worldwide as anIsraeli national food. Businesspeople in Beirut expressed their resentment and searched for legal ways to recognize hummus as a Lebanese invention.
Fadi Abboud, who has served as president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, led the battle and even considered suing Israel in order to stop it from marketing hummus across the world as an Israeli dish.
In order to recognize hummus as an original Lebanese product, the Association of Industrialists had to collect documents and evidence for the Lebanese claim. Abboud admitted at the time that it was a long and exhausting battle.
Now the tourism minister explains that the Lebanese have no objection for other people to prepare hummus, but says they must acknowledge the fact that this is a Lebanese dish. He says he is encouraged by the fact that "at least the Israelis acknowledge that hummus is a Palestinian dish more than it is an Israeli dish."
