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Commercial Hummus without Cumin

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I like hummus but really dislike cumin. Checking ingredients hasn't helped since cumin is usually not listed separately as an individual ingredient but rather just lumped under the term "spices." So far I haven't encountered any commercial hummus without a pinch of cumin added to it and as soon as I open the container and smell the cumin I chuck it because I know no one in the house will eat it. Even though it's easy to make hummus at home the commercial hummus is so readily available and so cheap I would like to use it as an alternative when I don't have the time to make it and spending a few dollars to save me the pain of cleaning the food processor from time to time is well worth it. Anyone knows of any commercial brands that make basic or any hummus without cumin? Please help me end the search and throw the money down in the garbage.

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  1. Not sure if it's available where you are, but Bobbi's "My Favorite Hummus" is truly the best. Definitely no cumin. No tahini, either. I can get it easily in the Philly area, I think you can find it all over the Northeast maybe?

    2 Replies
    1. re: missfunkysoul

      In the middle east, "hummus" refers to both the sauce that Americans are familiar with and the garbanzo beans themselves. The sauce has either five or six ingredients: garbanzo beans, tahini, olive oil, cumin, and lemon juice; in some areas, garlic is also added. ERGO, if you are buying something labeled "hummus" that has neither tahini nor cumin, you might be buying plain, mashed garbanzo beans.

      As a bit of a purist (since I grew up on these foods), I would consider cumin a crucial ingredient and say that it simply isn't "hummus" without it, but I understand your distaste - the important thing is that since it's a major ingredient traditionally, I wouldn't trust a commercial hummus made without it to to taste right. I think you're much, much better off fiddling with your food processor.

    2. There is no cumin in my hummus, nor my family's and we're middle eastern, Aunt's hubby is such a picky eater (he's Lebanese) and he never complained about there being no cumin in it. This is the first time I hear of cumin in hummus.

      I only put cumin in the fava beans.

      Looked this up in the arabic wiki for you, and the basic recipe does not include cumin, in another recipe it says "optional" .. this is a taste preference but like I said no one I know ever puts cumin in it, and no wonder I don't like the commercial ones (they just taste different to me, too dry too) I'd rather make mine at home.

      Good luck finding some :)

      1. I say make your own...easiest thing in the WORLD and so much cheaper! Hummus is an oft-discussed topic on the Home Cooking board.

        1. Make a list of the brands available in your local stores, find the company's websites and contact them to find out for sure. If y'all dislike cumin that much, it wouldn't be too much work to find a brand you can tolerate. You'd only have to do it once. Or maybe, just making it yourself will sound more attractive.

          1. Thanks, everyone! I think I will try missfunkysoul's suggestion and try to find Bobbi's first. I live in the NYC area so it should not be too hard to find it. Thanks again.