Well, I feel like Elaine in Seinfeld after finding out that her favorite fat-free yoghurt is, in fact, loaded with calories. In the past few months I've become addicted to Sabra Hummus, which is pretty freakin' delicious. The problem is, after multiple attempts to recreate this stuff from scratch--even going so far as to spend some four hours boiling my own dried chick peas instead of using the canned variety--I'm pretty certain it's not hummus.
To be honest, it doesn't even taste like hummus. That, in fact, is why it's so good. Hummus is nice and all, but I wouldn't call it ridiculously addicting. This stuff is like potato-chip dip or something. It's creamy, almost mayonaissy, it's completely LOADED with fat, accoring to its nutritional insert. Plus--get this!-despite the fact that it's supposed to be made from chick peas, it has virtually no fiber in it at all. Although it does have, in addition to the fat, a ton of carbs.
So yeah, you'll gain weight on this stuff before you know it. And that's the danger: you keep telling yourself it's healthy; it's hummus! Beans are good for you! Why, Nicholas Perricone claims that beans are a superfood! What better way to get them than from the Sabra?
After the aforementioned weight gain (did I mention that?), I became suspicious. Especially when I couldn't even come near recreating the stuff on my own. (I'm a pretty decent cook, and I can ALWAYS recreate recipes pretty closely....if they're what they say they are, anyway.)
First of all, nothing addicts that viciously unless it's got MSG in it. MSG isn't on the label. But modified food starch is, and, if you do a little research, you'll find that MSG is an additive to modified food starch. Call it a way of hiding the fact that you're dosing up on the naughty chemicals.
Which makes me wonder what else is not quite listed on the label. There's a loose catch-all called "spices" on there, too, which I suspect the Sabra people as using as a cover for a number of dirty tricks.
But the big question remains, what did they do to the chick peas? How did they manage to process the chick peas in such a way as to divest them of any fiber? This hummus has no chick-pea flavor at all. Perhaps they strained out the pulp altogether, and used only the chick-flavored water? Tahini is the second ingredient, but you can't taste that, either....it's a very mildly flavored tahini--perhaps a tahini from which they extracted the oil but removed the actual sesame base.
Whatever they did, it's a lot...it's food processed beyond recognition. Don't get me wrong--it's delicious stuff. But I sure wouldn't call it hummus.
3 comments:
ok I semi-agree that there is SOMETHING about Sabra that is difficult to imitate, but I did make hummus that was pretty close to the flavor and consistency of Sabra. I hulled the chickpeas (which does kind of defeat the purpose because I'm quite certain you also discard some fiber there), used a food processor to puree the chickpeas, added tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and some other spices such as onion powder. I kept adding lemon juice until it was the right flavor as well as Himalayan sea salt. Anyway, I am also suspect of the various ingredients that could be hiding msg.
Thanks for the post. I knew there was something about the Sabra hummus that didn't add up ! ! I used to munch through a whole 10oz container like every two days. I swear there's something addicting in the ingredients. Although it tastes great, I can't recall a snack that keeps pulling me back to the refrigerator like a magnet. My waistline has taken a beating, now I have to double the amount of sit-ups just to keep my waistline in shape. I am currently weening myself off the Sabra addiction by limiting my intake to 10 oz per week. Thanks again for confirming my suspicions.
Years ago I think it was this very post that had me go out and buy MSG specifically for the purpose of seeing if I could recreate Sabra.
It was a one off trial, because my wife found the MSG and threw it out.
But, it was super close to Sabra.
Post a Comment