Hummus.
What could be so complicated about this doughy creation made from chickpeas? Until I met Orly, the queen of hummus, I didn’t know the subtle skill it took to make this tasty item and I was sure the preservatives, garlic to overcome the lack of freshness of a container with an expiration date of three weeks. It didn’t ruin the outcome of this meal. I was in for a real treat and education.
So, I walk into this restaurant, in Boca Raton a couple of years ago, and I order hummus. Without thinking that something special was about to happen, I prepare to eat. I look for chopsticks because I always eat with them, I don’t like the metal of standard utensils. Of course, they are not there because I am not at home and I am in a Mediterranean European cafe. I settle for my fork, and wow! My taste buds experienced something exotic and surprising. I couldn’t believe it had taken me all this time in a life of abundance to experience “the real thing.” Now, my eyes had been opened to the way this food was supposed to taste. So what made it spectacular? Here are five reasons that come to mind.
The love of a cook.
As with many foods, the person who prepares the food must put a special love into it: the love of cooking, the love of food, the love of eating, the love of preparing and offering food to another human being. One or all of these. This love comes out in the flavor. There are so many ingredients in this dish, so it makes sense to think that the love of the preparer is one of them.
The technique.
Next, we look at the technique. It seems silly to think that technique is an ingredient. But it is. If we take 5 ingredients, a recipe, and ask two different people to make the food, the variation will be in the technique. Life experience, attitude, confidence, personal balance, familiarity with food will make the difference. I learned a while back that “good kung fu” is an expression used to refer to someone who uses good technique to successfully complete a task. The expression is often used of the person who prepares wonderful food or as a compliment for any skill.
The quality of the ingredients.
The person who prides himself on the quality of ingredients buys the freshest and most expensive ones because he knows the effect this will have on the flavor of the food. Most likely, the more experience the preparer has, the higher the quality of the ingredients. Spices will be more diverse internationally, depending on the preparer’s exposure to different countries and cultures. At the same time, the best suppliers will be employed.
Atmosphere.
How does the environment affect the taste? We are creatures who like comfort, visual and otherwise. We like what we see and smell, especially when we go to eat. We like to look around us and see smiling restaurateurs who welcome us into their restaurant as if it were their own home, people who know our name and history. Because? We like to be listened to and welcomed.
Freshness.
Lastly, let’s talk about freshness. This goes for chickpeas, paprika, garlic, oil, salad vegetables or to fill our pita. This is all part of the amazing. If the vegetables on the plate are organic, we notice it. Complete the effect on our taste buds that comes from our delicacy like no other. It helps to trust the people who run a restaurant to use fresh, hopefully organic, locally grown vegetables. Only fresh tastes fresh, and this makes a big difference.
Conclusion.
I remember what I imagine my great-grandparents were like, picking their own vegetables in the old country: growing, tending, picking, and preparing their own vegetables for the family. Oh wait Yo I grew up, cared for and picked my own vegetables. in the cement gardens of downtown New York City when there was a community garden at the corner of Lafeyette and 3rd St. That’s another reason why I was so surprised when I tasted the real mccoy of this chickpea pasta just a few years, in, of all places, Florida. New York’s Greenwich Village, where I lived for eight years several decades ago, had hummus on every corner, in every diner and eating establishment. It was around the time that hummus came to the United States and became standard on the menu. I lived a block from many Middle Eastern cafes, so I had a great experience with hummus. Long story short, the whole previous experience did not taste like the things I ate recently.
I guess the moral here is ABO, Always Be Open. Every day is a new adventure that will teach us many things if we are not too busy to notice. Including the fact that “real hummus” is hard to find.