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Hummus Elite
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Sunday - Thursday: 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM /
Friday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM /
Saturday: Closed / 201.569.5600
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Is
Kosher Food Better?
In recent years, consumption of kosher food by non-Jews
in the United States has risen. The reason is health
consciousness and a general perception among the American
public that kosher is healthier and is in some way "better"
than non-kosher food. This movement is helped by the
recent trends toward greener, cleaner eating among Americans.
Click
here to learn more. |
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Eating
Kosher for Health Reasons
Recent trends show that many Americans are going kosher.
The switch, however, is not religiously motivated. Instead,
many people are finding their way to kosher eating because
of the health consciousness that it promotes. According
to a survey done in 2008, of those who buy kosher regularly,
62% buy kosher for its quality, and 51% do so out of
a desire to purchase healthier food. Click
here to learn more. |
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About
Kosher Certification
Kosher is a term that refers to the suitability of a
food product for consumption by observant Jews. The
concept of kosher comes from the Torrah, which states
that anyone who consumes non-kosher food is infected
by an unclean spirit.
Click
here to learn more. |
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Kosher
Gaining Popularity in the United States
Jewish laws called the Kashrut provide instructions
regarding what foods are acceptable to include in a
Jewish diet as well as how to prepare these foods according
to the Kashrut. Food cannot be made kosher by having
a rabbi simply bless the food. Instead, meats, fruits
and vegetables have to be grown or prepared a certain
way and remain clean of contaminating elements, such
as insects and blood. Click
here to learn more. |
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A
Brief Overview of Kosher Food
Jewish laws called the Kashrut provide instructions
regarding what foods are acceptable to include in a
Jewish diet as well as how to prepare these foods according
to the Kashrut. Food cannot be made kosher by having
a rabbi simply bless the food. Instead, meats, fruits
and vegetables have to be grown or prepared a certain
way and remain clean of contaminating elements, such
as insects and blood. Click
here to learn more. |
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What
Is Tahini Sauce?
Middle Eastern tahini sauce or paste differs from Asian
tahini sauce due to using only the inner part of the
sesame seed, or "husked" part, instead of
the whole sesame seed. The slightly nutty, bitter flavor
with which it provides a variety of dishes is culled
from soaking sesame seeds is water, crushing the seeds
and then soaking them in salt water. This forces the
kernels to separate from the seeds and float to the
surface, where they are gathered, ground and toasted
to make an oily, creamy paste or sauce. Click
here to learn more. |
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Top
10 Middle Eastern Spices
The Middle East is famous for its spicy, flavorful dishes
mainly because Arabian spice traders once monopolized
the market on spices and provided that region with access
to just about every spice available. Spices were highly
prized in the Middle Ages because food spoiled so quickly
due to poor hygiene standards and appalling food preservation
methods. Hundreds of years ago, spices helped to mask
the flavor of foods that were less than fresh and made
them more palatable. Some spices even helped prevent
food from deteriorating so quickly in the hot summer
months. Click
here to learn more. |
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Four
Classic Ways to Eat Pita Bread
Made with leavened wheat bread, water, salt and baked
as a round piece of bread containing a pocket, pita
bread is a staple of many Balkan, Middle Eastern and
Mediterranean dishes. Pita bread gets its famous "pocket"
when raw pita bread is baked and subjected to a steaming
process that causes the dough to puff up in the middle
of the bread. Eventually, it begins to flatten as it
cools, leaving the famous pocket behind into which all
kinds of foods are placed and eaten as a sandwich-type
meal.
Click
here to learn more. |
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Types
of Kebab
Originally invented in Turkey and later spreading into
Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisine, kebab is now
a favoritedish of peoples all over the world. However,
the meaning of kebab in North America is different than
Middle Eastern kebab, with American kebab referring
specifically to shish kebab, or mainly meat chunks cooked
and served while still attached to a skewer. Middle
Eastern definitions of kebab include meat dishes that
are roasted, stewed or grilled and served in bowls,
on plates or as a sandwich. Meat traditionally used
in Turkish kebab is lamb, with ethnic and local differences
substituting seafood, goat, pork, beef, fish and chicken
for lamb. Click
here to learn more. |
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What
is Glatt Kosher?
The Yiddish and German definition of glatt is “smooth”,
but when used in reference to kosher cattle meat, glatt
kosher indicates meat that is unblemished and defect-free
due to the excellent condition of the animal's lungs.
Sephardic Jews say animals that are not kosher exhibit
lungs scarred with lesions or scabs (treif). Alternatively,
Ashkenazic Jews hold the view that although defective
lungs may be found, meat may still be considered kosher
if lesions are removable and the lungs remain airtight.
However, technically defined “glatt” animal
lungs must pass the strict requirements established
by Sephardic law in order for the meat to be genuinely
considered “glatt kosher”. Click
here to learn more. |
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What
is Israeli Vegetable Salad?
Traditionally called salat yerakot yisraeli, this national
dish of Israel is made of finely chopped lettuce, unpeeled
cucumbers, red or green peppers, parsley, onions and
tomatoes. Commonly used dressing ingredients include
black pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Israeli vegetable
salad, or just Israeli salad, is famous for using only
the freshest of vegetables and chopping them into the
finest, tiniest pieces possible. Distinguished kibbutz
cooks are revered for their ability to chop vegetables,
especially the cucumbers and tomatoes, into perfectly
diced pieces. Click
here to learn more. |
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Pita
Bread in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisine
Pita bread is a round piece of bread with a pocket created
by puffs of steam during the baking process. This unique
bread is widely consumed in the Middle East and the
Mediterranean countries as well as Turkey, India and
the Arabian Peninsula. Traditionally baked in very hot
brick ovens, pita bread (Arabian name khubz), is made
from wheat and slightly leavened, which allows the bread
to create the hole for which it is famous. Written evidence
of Arabs making khubz dates back to the 10th century
and is found in a cookbook called the Kitab al-Tabikh.
Click
here to learn more. |
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Health
Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet
Inhabitants of countries adjacent to the Mediterranean
Sea, such as Greece, Albania, Italy, France, Turkey
and Israel, traditionally consume a healthy diet rich
in vegetables, seafood, herbs and fruits. Referred to
as the Mediterranean Diet, these foods comprising the
daily meals of those living in these nearby countries
are naturally low in fat and calories, high in protein
and contain lesser amounts of saturated fat than the
typical Western diet. Click
here to learn more. |
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What
is Kosher Food?
Foods considered “kosher” are foods that
abide by the Jewish Halakhic laws, which describe foods
permitted to be eaten by members of the Jewish faith
according to statements found in Leviticus 11:1-47.
Food considered “nonkosher” include meat
taken from animals that were not properly (ritualistically)
killed, along with any combination of milk, meat or
grape juice (wine) that was not manufactured according
to Halakhic laws. Click
here to learn more. |
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FAQs
About Middle Eastern Cuisine
People living in Middle Eastern and West Asian countries
consume a “Middle East” cuisine, a unique
diet comprised primarily of hummus, falafel, tahini,
tabouleh, baklava, pita bread, baba ghannouj, foul mudammes
and lokum. Various meats and vegetables are also included
in this diet which incorporates heavy use of olive oil
and a diverse variety of pungent spices.
Click
here to learn more. |
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What
is Hummus?
Favored in Middle Eastern countries as a delectable
spread or dip for a variety of foods, hummus is made
from chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) that have
been cooked until tender and then mashed. Additional
flavorings of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and
tahini (ground sesame seed paste) are later added to
the hummus as well. Click
here to learn more. |
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