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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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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.
Considered to be one of the many healthy foods comprising
Middle East cuisine, tahini contains sufficient amounts
of manganese, copper, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids
and amino acid methionine. All of these nutrients contribute
to cardiovascular health, cognitive functioning and
fat metabolism. Moreover, the high protein and calcium
levels in tahini make it an excellent addition to any
vegan or vegetarian diet.
Tahini is traditionally served as a garnish or side
dish in Middle Eastern restaurants that is enhanced
with garlic, lemon juice and salt. In addition to being
a bread dip, tahini often tops vegetable and meat dishes
or complements sweet syrup made with dates to create
a dessert eaten with bread.
In Israel, tahini is a staple of most meals, used as
a dip for pita bread or as a topping for shwarma and
falafel. Popular with residents of the Gaza Strip, red
tahini is also served alongside regular tahini. Because
sesame seeds used to make this tahini are roasted for
a longer period, the taste is more intense and richer.
Tahini is also used as a substitute for peanut butter,
jelly and butter on plain or toasted pita bread in the
Middle East. This paste is made by roasting sesame seeds
on a cooking sheet for about ten minutes, pouring the
seeds plus 1/4 cup of olive oil into a blender and mixing
the paste on high until smooth and creamy.
A hummus recipe almost always includes tahini but is
sometimes omitted to give the hummus a different flavor.
The basic recipe for traditional Middle Eastern hummus
includes garbanzo or chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic,
salt, olive oil and tahini. Halvah, a candy-like dessert
also contains tahini and sweeteners like honey or syrup.
Predominantly found in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan,
baba ghanoush is a dish made with mashed eggplant, olive
oil, lemon juice, garlic clove, tahini and served with
pita bread. The Arabic name for "baba ghanoush"
literally refers to "father of coquetry",
which leads some historians to believe that this dish
was originally created by a harem member many centuries
ago. |
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