Hummus is a classic Mediterranean dip that has grown into a worldwide sensation. By now, everyone has probably dipped a carrot or piece of bread into a rich, flavorful hummus at some point in their lives.

If you’ve tried a lot of different hummus, you probably also know that not all of them are created equal. Nearly everyone who makes it has their own recipe, and some of them are just plain better than others.

In this article, we’d like to share a few secrets that go into making a next level hummus.

Peel the Chickpeas
Hummus is at its core mashed up chickpeas, seasoning, and an oil of some kind. How you prepare the chickpeas however, can make a difference in its flavor. Just peeling the outer shell of the chickpea can make a big difference.

Although it may seem tedious to peel the skin off of hundreds of tiny beans, it doesn’t have to be that hard. Take your soaked chickpeas and place them between two tea towels.

Rub vigorously (without crushing them) for a few minutes. When you open up the towels again, most of the skins will be off the chickpeas. All you have to do after this is pick them off and discard them.

The result is a creamier hummus, with no graininess or odd texture. It’s definitely worth the extra time to take this step.

Blend it Longer
How do you get a smooth hummus? Blend it for longer. You might think it’s ready because it appears smooth, but you’ll want to let it blend a good long time for ultimate creaminess. Walk away if you have to. Go do some household chores.

Letting the hummus blend a long time is one of the best ways to insure it is ultra smooth and creamy.

Avoid Canned Chickpeas
You might think it easier to make your own hummus with canned chickpeas, but you might not get the same flavor. Instead, start with dried chickpeas and let them soak. After they have had time to soak, simmer them in hot water until tender.

While canned chickpeas will never have the same flavor, you can get close by simmering them for a short while before preparing your hummus.

Don’t Skimp on the Tahini
A big part of the flavor hummus has is the Tahini, a sesame seed paste rich in flavor. Some people even skip adding olive oil to their hummus and just rely on the oils from the Tahini paste to carry the hummus through.

You may want to experiment with trying some homemade hummus with double tahini instead of olive oil, or if your preference leans towards olive oil before taking this step.

Restaurant quality hummus takes a lot of work to perfect. The next time you dip a carrot into a next level hummus, take a moment to appreciate the skill it took to get a hummus to that level of quality. A good hummus is hard to get right, and nailing it is something to be proud of.

We’ve talked about how healthy the Mediterranean diet is on our blog before. Study after study has found that Mediterranean food can help with weight loss, improve cardiovascular health, and so much more.

Although we know the Mediterranean diet is healthy, it’s sometimes surprising just how many ways it can help. In a large-scale study that took place over 25 years, scientists measured how closely women followed a Mediterranean diet.

They found that the closer a woman followed the Mediterranean diet, the less likely they were to die from all causes. The scientists looked at this in detail, to try and weed out people who might just be using a little bit of olive oil and calling that the Mediterranean diet.

The closer someone followed a typical Mediterranean diet, the lower the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as early death for any reason. Every step closer to adherence gave women a 5% or so reduction in risk of death.

What Sort of Foods Make Up the Mediterranean diet?
You can browse our menu to get a good idea of what’s on the menu. Mediterranean food is widely varied. It includes lots of fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains and legumes and fish, with chicken a bit more rarely and red meat less often than that.

Healthy eating has been a big part of Mediterranean food for a long time, so many vegetarian dishes are not only delicious, but healthy and rich in flavor. Choose more fruit and vegetable options than meat options, and avoid highly processes or sugary foods.

How to Start
If you want to say yes to better health and a longer life, stop by our restaurant and check out our healthy, delicious foods. Focus on the vegetables like one of our salads, as well as heart healthy olive oil, and filling foods like hummus.

At home, focus on vegetables. Add as many vegetables as possible in an array of colors, with the goal of at least half your plate being vegetables.

Every Bite Helps
Change comes hard. You might not be able to completely change your diet. The good news is that the study showed even small changes helped. Even if you only adapt your diet in small ways, it will still show in a reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other causes of death.
The more you adhere to the Mediterranean diet, the lower your risks, but even a tiny change makes a difference.

We hope you’ll take this exciting new study as an opportunity to try healthy, delicious Mediterranean food. Stop by and see what is available. You can even order it at home with the convenience of our new apps.

Mediterranean food is incredibly healthy, and has clear benefits to those who eat it. Even though the focus of this study was on women, men can also benefit in reduced cancer rates, cardiovascular issues, and even things like dementia and depression.
There’s an enormous way Mediterranean food can help, and it all starts with the first bite.

In previous posts, we looked at two classic ingredients in Mediterranean food: Olives and Olive Oil. Yet Mediterranean food is filled with a bounty of classic, flavorful ingredients. Today, we will look at another important ingredient to Mediterranean cuisine, feta cheese.

Feta cheese is an ingredient that has become a global phenomenon, but did you know it was once only made in a few specific regions of Greece?
Feta is the oldest known cheese, with the first mention of it as far back in time as Homer’s Odyssey. In one of the oldest fictions in the world, the cyclops Polyphemus is seen with a herd of sheep, making feta cheese.

The details on how it is made are shared in the story, not only confirming it was made by ancient Greeks at the time, but how important the cheese was at the time.

How It’s Made
Feta Cheese is made by heating sheep milk (or sometimes sheep mixed with goat milk) with rennet to curdle it into a cheese. The curd is then separated from the whey and left in barrels, tins, or other vessels to brine in a salt solution.
The result is a crumbly white cheese that is finished relatively quickly compared to other cheese that need to age.
Feta has a protected status and can only be called Feta if it was created with traditional methods in Greece.

How It’s Used
With Feta Cheese being written about as early as the 7th century, it’s no surprise that many great dishes have arisen from it. The people of Greece, and others around the world too, have had plenty of time to experiment with this cheese and turn it into amazing dishes.
Feta cheese is used in a variety of dishes, sprinkled in as a vegetarian alternative to meat in Gyros, crumbled over salads, and baked into famous dishes like Spanakopita.

Nutritional Benefits
Like almost all the ingredients in Mediterranean cooking, feta has a wealth of nutritional benefits. They are lower in calories than other cheeses such as cheddar, but provide calcium, vitamin B12, and many other vitamins and minerals.
Feta cheese may support bone health, and also may improve digestive health. It may also help with vitamin absorption and weight management.
Between all of these nutritional benefits, it is no wonder Feta is a part of the Mediterranean diet.

Tasty, Nutritious Ingredient
The Mediterranean diet is well known for being particularly healthy. It’s little surprise then that the ingredients that make it up all seem to be a powerhouse of nutrition in different ways. This incredible cheese has been providing Greek citizens health benefits since the ancient times, and is now available around the world for everyone to enjoy.
The next time you tuck into a Greek Salad or a beautiful Spanakopita, take a moment to appreciate the delicious Feta accenting your food. It’s truly an amazing ingredient, rich with history, and thousands of years of knowledge went into those delicious bites your craving.