Salat Marakesh

Mark Twain was once quoted saying "there is no tastier Hummus than thou found in Jerusalem." While not a real attribution, the concept should still be logical. Upon my relocation home to Israel, I picked this XL tube up from my local Shufer-Sol and brought out my Zohan hummus-dipping glasses eager to get busy with this sucker. Much to my chagrin, this hummus took me right back to Galut (exile) and might as well have written Sabra on the front. Now I'll admit I did a double taste test with this hummus, starting with a dip trip Friday night and a follow up scoop and score on Sunday. Perhaps the holiness of our Shabbat queen was overcoming my common sense on Friday night but if not for Shabbat, I was prepared to rate this a 6.8. Unlucky for my Moroccan brothers, I observe the Sabbath and thought I would give one more tasting on Sunday, before I type this up - and that's when I tasted it. The citric taste mixed with notes of artificial stabilizers and flavors came right to the surface and tickled my nostrils like a Tom and Jerry cartoon. I'll add this is a capital-T thick hummus which keeps its shape and has peaks and troughs from the dips. the color is inviting (I opted for the plain hummus, as any sane human should) and had no further notes to add here. Ultimately, this hummus reminds me of an old Yiddish fable which speaks of a young banish named Mendy who gets sent to the motherland to find a maiden. Mendy arrives expecting a swarthy, fiery, and exciting Israeli girl named Shiraz only to find its Tzippy from the five towns who is paler than the new moon and doesn't speak a lick of Hebrew. If you're in a pinch in the 18 minutes and need to buy something beforeshabbat, feel free to grab this but don't let the Israeli influence fool you.