My baba and mama are both immigrants from a magical place called Jerusalem- aka The Holy Land. Growing up, we were lucky to spend our summers in Jerusalem visiting grandparents and extended family. It was the most enriching experience to be able to connect with our heritage through culture, language and food- ahhhhh the food-which meant we got to eat the best hummus in the world ALL summer long!

But, you may ask, what is Jerusalem-Style hummus? And what makes it so good? Or, even the best in the world?

Well…

1. It comes in one flavor- Traditional

Not to disappoint the roasted red pepper and Sriracha fans (those are some of our most popular flavors), but Jerusalem-Style hummus comes in one flavor- traditional. Each family, restaurant, dive makes their own recipe, but it usually comes down to four ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic. These recipes are passed down through generations and are kept a family secret just like Baba’s ;)

2. It’s super CREAMY

Velvety, silky, smooth and made with copious amount of tahini (sesame paste). Um, yum. And of course, fresh ingredients from the daily harvest is a must.

We definitely pride ourselves in being the creamiest hummus you’ll ever try. 

3. It’s smothered with local, EVOO

Palestine is home to some of the oldest olive orchards. Resulting in incredible, rich olive oil.

So, instead of adding olive oil into the actually hummus recipe, we drizzle the hell out of it with local, thick, green extra virgin olive oil. It doesn’t get better than that!

4. We like to top our hummus with fresh, whole chickpeas 

Some joints may also add paprika, lemon and garnishes like tangy olives and spicy peppers. 

And if we want to get real fancy, we top our hummus with fresh, minced lamb. This gets me every time.

5. Everyone and their BABA has their favorite spot 

Ask someone from Jerusalem where to get the best hummus and usually, it’s a different spot for most. And as expected, people get real defensive on who makes the best hummus. It’s basically the national food there, so why wouldn’t they be protective of their fav spot?

For my husband and I, it’s this small place near the Old City that is over 65 years old. Akramawi is a dive surrounded by historic shops, ancient cobblestone streets and hungry appetites. Mmmm. Making me drool just thinking about it. 

Because we know Jerusalem is quite a hike for most, we created Baba’s so we could share the best hummus in the world with you.