Msabbaha

Msabbaha (Arabic: مسبحة‎, also romanized musabbaha, lit. meaning "swimming") is a variation of hummus popular in the Levant.^[1]

Ingredients

The main difference between msabbaha and hummus is the texture. In contrast with hummus, the chickpeas here remain whole.^[2] Like hummus, it is eaten with fresh pita bread. In the Galilee it is also known as mashausha.^[3]

The base of the dish is balila: warm cooked chickpeas in their own water with a little added cumin, chopped parsley and lemon juice. Pine nuts fried in olive oil or samneh (clarified butter) are sometimes poured over the balila.^[1] Other ingredients include tahini and minced garlic.

A variation of msabbaha popular in Damascus today serves chickpeas and tahina with melted butter, pomegranate or lemon juice, and pistachios or pine nuts.^[4] In Israeli restaurants, where it is known as masbacha, a hot sauce is sometimes served on the side; it is often considered a "gourmet" version of hummus by Israelis who buy the latter prepackaged.^[5]

References