
More than 300 chefs set the new record for hummus, which the Lebanese say is their national dish despite Israeli claims, in the presence of a Guinness World Records representative who confirmed its weight at 10,452 kilograms.
Hummus is a dip made of chick peas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. The chefs mixed the ingredients together in a giant plate which itself claimed a record for the largest earthenware dish.
The latest Lebanese shot across Israel's culinary bows came amid a gastronomic fight between two countries still technically at war.
Giant plate (Photo: Reuters)
In January, 50 chefs in the Israeli Arab village of Abu Ghosh near Jerusalem mashed up more than four tons of hummus, beating a Guinness record set in Lebanon just months previously.
Both hummus and tabbouleh – a salad made with parsley, bulgur wheat, scallions and tomatoes – are being used as ammunition in the cultural cuisine campaign. The Lebanese set the tabbouleh record last year.
Israel exports hummus widely, and is accused of claiming an Arab dish as its own.
Now the Lebanese have also set their sights on falafel, which is popular in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and ... Israel. On Sunday they will try to set a world record for that also.