[LCM Articles] Lebanese to Israel: Hands off our hummus! (AP)

[Loai Naamani]

Lebanese to Israel: Hands off our hummus!
By ZEINA KARAM (AP) ­ 3 hours ago



BEIRUT ‹ Lebanese chefs prepared a massive plate of hummus weighing over two
tons Saturday that broke a world record organizers said was previously held
by Israel ‹ a bid to reaffirm proprietorship over the popular Middle Eastern
dip.

"Come and fight for your bite, you know you're right!" was the slogan for
the event ‹ part of a simmering war over regional cuisine between Lebanon
and Israel, which have had tense political relations for decades.

Lebanese businessmen accuse Israel of stealing a host of traditional Middle
Eastern dishes, particularly hummus, and marketing them worldwide as
Israeli.

"Lebanon is trying to win a battle against Israel by registering this new
Guinness World Record and telling the whole world that hummus is a Lebanese
product, its part of our traditions," said Fady Jreissati, vice president of
operations at International Fairs and Promotions group, the event's
organizer.

Hummus ‹ made from mashed chickpeas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice,
salt and garlic ‹ has been eaten in the Middle East for centuries. Its exact
origin is unknown, though it's generally seen as an Arab dish.

But it is also immensely popular in Israel ‹ served in everyday meals and at
many restaurants ‹ and its popularity is growing around the globe.

The issue of food copyright was raised last year by the head of Lebanon's
Association of Lebanese Industrialists, Fadi Abboud, when he announced plans
to sue Israel to stop it from marketing hummus and other regional dishes as
Israeli.
But to do that, Lebanon must formally register the product as Lebanese. The
association is still in the process of collecting documents and proof
supporting its claim for that purpose.

Lebanese industrialists cite, as an example, the lawsuit over feta cheese in
which a European Union court ruled in 2002 the cheese must be made with
Greek sheep and goats milk to bear the name feta. That ruling is only valid
for products sold in the EU.

Abboud says that process took seven years and realizes Lebanon's fight with
Israel is an uphill battle.

Meanwhile, he says, events like Saturday's serve to remind the world that
hummus is not Israeli.
"If we don't tell Israel that enough is enough, and we don't remind the
world that it's not true that hummus is an Israeli traditional dish, they
(Israelis) will keep on marketing it as their own," he said Saturday.

Some 300 chefs were involved in preparing Saturday's massive ceramic plate
of hummus in a huge tent set up in downtown Beirut. The white-uniformed
chefs used 2,976 pounds (1,350 kilograms) of mashed chickpeas, 106 gallons
(400 liters) of lemon juice and 57 pounds (26 kilograms) of salt to make the
dish, weighing 4,532 pounds (2,056 kilograms).



It was not clear what the former Israeli record was, and organizers gave
conflicting reports on when it was made.

But chefs and visitors broke into cheers and applause when a representative
from the Guinness Book of World Records presented Abboud with a certificate
verifying Lebanon had broken the previous record. The plate was then
decorated with the red, green and white Lebanese flag.

A similar attempt to set a new world record will be held Sunday for the
largest serving of tabbouleh, a salad made of chopped parsley and tomatoes,
that Lebanon also claims as its own.



Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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