Hummus in Israel: Between the industrial and the artisanal

Hummus in Israel is not only an extremely popular dish—it is considered one of the very signifiers of "Israeliness." Following the emergence of a gastronomic field in Israel in the 1980s, and the development of an omnivore orientation in food consumption among members of the new middle class, hummus consumption has undergone differentiation in culinary discourse and practice. Among other factors, handmade hummus became more sharply distinguished from industrial varieties of the dish. In the research literature too, consumption of industrial food and that of handmade food are conceived in opposing terms.

Based on my research on hummus consumption in Israel I argue, that instead of taking "the industrial" and "the artisanal" as two opposite and competing realms, we should examine their interrelationship and mutual construction. 

Thus, for instance, the entry of the big food corporations to the field of salads production in the 1990s has not only increased significantly the consumption of industrial hummus in Israel, but also of handmade hummus prepared in a hummusiya (hummus restaurant). Hummus producing companies are organizing public events where handmade hummus by specific hummus chefs is celebrated alongside industrial varieties of the dish, and owners of popular hummus restaurants are cooperating with the industry in order to promote their restaurants.

The research is based on interviews with various actors in the hummus industry and in the culinary field and on analysis of various types of published materials concerning hummus production and consumption (the most significant being the daily press).