Bountiful Snackies! :)

Allow me to introduce you to the best thing since sliced bread (incidentally, it's pretty good with sliced bread, too!). 

Okay, so, if you follow me on Facebook or got an email from me within the first week or two of me being here, then you've likely already heard about this stuff...but hommos* is just that awesome (that, and I'm kinda zonked, and this topic won out because made for a relatively short blog post........hopefully you enjoy brutal honesty in your reading...if not, please move on to the next blogger's site!)

Now, I realize that we have hummus back back in the States, but Americans don't eat it like people here do...it's used as a substitute for many condiments and is the ultimate dipping sauce! I've had it on cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and if I'd eaten any other veggies, I'd have put it on them, too (sorry Mom, but at least I am still drinking all my milk! :). It is especially good with Arabic and Lebanese bread (think really thick, soft tortillas)--torn into bite-size pieces and dipped into a bowl of hommos. I've found it also works the same way with sliced bread...the Arab bread gets moldy rather quickly, so I had to either run to the store or improvise one day...pretty fun little discovery. Also, I've had this stuff on french fries...not that I'm particularly proud of using carbs as a condiment for carbs, but it's very tasty (I've only done that once or twice)! 

I would also like to draw your attention to the label for a few more cultural pointers. You will notice the dates beneath the product label (Produced on and Use by: 18-01-11). I still have not figured out how long before hommos expires, but I'm fairly certain it's more than a day (either that or my sisters are very right about my indelicate digestive system)...it's definitely less than two weeks.... BUT, that wasn't the point I was trying to make! There is, in fact, no 18th month here...when listing the date, they place the day first, then the month, and end with the year. Looking at the expiration dates threw me off quite a bit during my first week or so here..."Why does everything expire on the first of each month!? And how in the world is this yogurt going to stay good until September!?!!!!"

You may also notice (if you have good eyesight) that the weight is listed in kilograms. Most things here are reported using the metric system only (not that that's a surprise, just not something I had really thought about until I got here). The more cooking I do, the more I wish I would have paid better attention to conversion factors between the English and metric systems back in middle school science! 

And finally, the price is in dirhams, so not only is this stuff really yummy, it's also really inexpensive!

I apologize for now having two food-based blogs in a row. I will do my best to have a non-food related post tomorrow. 

*Hommos (also spelled hummus, hommus, hummos, etc.) "is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic" (thank you Wikipedia!). No, I have no idea what tahini is.