LETTER FROM
THE EDITOR
Thanks in part to Sabra’s push,
more and more Americans are
making hummus their dip of
choice. Hummus sales — and Sabra’s fortunes — are steadily rising.
Drawing on history and humor, Saki also takes us inside the
“hummus wars.” For many people
in the Middle East, hummus isn’t
just a delicious chickpea dip —
it’s part of their cultural identity.
In recent years, pro-Palestinian
activists have boycotted Sabra’s
Israeli parent company, Strauss.
Lebanese groups have criticized
Sabra for co-opting their country’s native dish.
Yet Sabra presses on, tinkering with new recipes designed to
appeal to the American palate,
with hummus flavors like Asian
Fusion and Buffalo Style (“I detest it,” Zohar said of the latter).
The company’s optimism is rooted
in the fact that Americans have
embraced plenty of foreign-born
snacks before, from bagels and
burritos to guacamole and salsa.
Elsewhere in the issue, we feature a photo essay of Americans
as seen from the backs of their
t-shirts. The images are sometimes poignant, sometimes hu-
HUFFINGTON
06.30-07.07.13
morous, and taken together, definitely thought-provoking. We see
Americans of all ages and backgrounds, in public places across
the country, expressing themselves
through what they wear, and shar-
Sabra is at the
forefront of a campaign
to put hummus ‘on
every American table,’
in the company of snacks
like potato chips, salsa
and Doritos.”
ing their messages — from “Vote
Incumbents Out” to “Do the Hustle
Thing” — with anyone who can
read a t-shirt. And since the Fourth
of July is perhaps second only to
the Super Bowl when it comes to
eating, we’ve gone all-in on features about America’s culinary traditions, from clambakes and cocktails to ice cream and a survey of
American foods that, alas,
aren’t really American.
ARIANNA