Having done some preliminary research on the origins of hummus, I still can’t come up with a definitive answer. Egypt? Syria? Who knows?
What I do know is that it’s the best answer to every homemaker’s dilemma – what to serve when there’s no time to spare, the family is hungry, and there’s nothing much in the fridge except eggs – which you had yesterday.
It’s also a great meal out – cheap, quick, and filling.
My husband and I had decided that we both needed a hummus fix and were invited to taste the offerings at Humus Shel Atar, run by its very charming new manager, Aviv Schlesinger. It’s situated in the Piano outdoor shopping mall in Netanya, which also has a well-stocked supermarket we have sometimes patronized.
Aviv explained that his hummus is ultra-fresh as it is ground and prepared for serving upon ordering. This is very good news as you know the hummus has not been sitting around for hours, acting as an improvised petri dish.
The entire menu is listed on the inside wall of the eatery in Hebrew only, but Aviv and his assistants speak perfect English so choosing your dish should not be a problem.
We sat outside the small restaurant, enjoying the balmy night air and watching the world go by, and our order quickly arrived. We chose two of many variations on straight hummus dishes – a hummus with shakshuka (NIS 46) and another with mushrooms. (NIS 43).
We found the hummus very much to our liking, with good fresh taste, not over-spiced, and a smooth texture that was just right, not too firm or too soft.
The warmed small pitas were just the job for tasting the hummus. We also very much liked the side dish of fried eggplant chips, something new for us and such a good idea, we wondered why no one had thought of it before. A side dish of pickled cucumbers, olives, tomato, and raw onion was also included.
To be sure we had tasted everything presently on the menu, we also got to sample the freshly made and nicely hot falafel balls. (Five balls for NIS 10)
Plans are afoot to add meat dishes to the menu in the near future, with asado and schnitzel available soon.The only alcohol in sight was beer, which my husband ordered and I nicked a half cup or so to add to my diet Sprite for an instant shandy – very refreshing.
It’s always good to go out for a good, simple meal, especially these days when we need a distraction from the cruel reality we are living in. We pray it will end soon.
Hummus Shel AtarShoshana Damari, 10Netanya(09) 768-8836Open: Sun.-Thu., 11 a.m-9 p.m.; Fri., 10.30 a.m-3 p.m.Kashrut: Netanya Rabbinate.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.