THE NEW
SALSA
event took place on Israeli Independence day, or as Palestinians
call it, Al Nachbar, The Disaster. A
Guinness representative was there
to document the victory.
Lebanon entered the fray about
a year after that, doubling Osem’s
record at a cook-off in Beirut. The
chefs, who had been convened by
a pair of Lebanese business associations, used spices to decorate
what was now the world’s largest
hummus plate with a picture of the
Lebanese flag. While they were at
it, they also broke Israel’s record
for the largest bowl of of tabouli, a
bulgur and parsley dish. According
to The Daily Star of Lebanon, the
groups that organized the event
had a more grandiose goal than
merely notching a volume record:
They hoped to promote the idea
that the Lebanese had invented
both tabouli and hummus.
In the months after that feat,
Lebanon and Israel traded shots,
with Lebanon delivering what has
so far proved the victorious blow,
serving 23,042 pounds of chickpea
dip at a weekend-long gathering
in 2010. On the eve of the event,
Ramzi Nadim Shwaryi, a Lebanese
TV chef and one of the festival’s
coordinators, told the Lebanese
press that he and his allies were in
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06.30-07.07.13
it for Lebanon’s honor.
“We will stand together against
this industrial and cultural violation
and defend our economy, civilization and Lebanese heritage,” he said.
At about the same time the
hummus wars were playing out in
Lebanon, a group of Palestinian-
“THE PROTESTERS
MAKE NOISE, BUT
THEY MAKE NOISE
TO THEMSELVES.
IT DOESN’T HAVE
ANY INFLUENCE ON
OUR BUSINESS.”
sympathizers in the United States
tried to call attention to Israel’s
military activities in the West
Bank and Gaza by pressing for boycotts of two Israeli-owned hummus companies — Sabra, and one
of its larger competitors, Tribe.
The boycotters identified
themselves as supporters of a
broader movement called Boycott, Divest and Sanctions.
Launched by Palestinian activists
in 2005 following failed peace
negotiations, the organization
aimed to apply economic pressure on the Israeli government
to end its 46-year occupation of
Palestinian territories.
A YouTube video produced by