Hummus be joking, chefs in Lebanon tell Israelis

Lebanon chefs created a massive bowl of hummus to reclaim ownership of the Middle Eastern dish. Photo / AP

BEIRUT - Lebanon taunted Israel with a gesture of gastronomic one-upmanship yesterday after 300 chefs in Beirut prepared a 2056kg dish of hummus in an attempt to affirm ownership of the Middle Eastern dip.

The two countries have been involved in an increasingly heated culinary dispute ever since Israel began to market hummus as one of its national dishes last year.

Lebanon's national pride, already smarting from Israel's invasion in 2006, was further dented when the Jewish state was officially acknowledged as the home of the largest hummus dish created after a chickpea extravaganza in Jerusalem in May.

Arguing the Israeli claim is dubious because of the state's youth, businessmen in Beirut have begun legal action to patent the dish as Lebanese.

Chefs set about restoring Lebanon's national dignity by mixing 1360kg of mashed chickpeas, 333 litres of lemon juice and 26kg of salt to break Israel's record. The Lebanese then prepared a 3538kg tabbouleh salad that included 1596kg of parsley, 1496kg of tomatoes and 419kg of onions.

- AP