Lebanon readies to break hummus, tabbouleh record

BEIRUT: A press conference was held Thursday to promote the “Hummus and Tabbouleh are Lebanese” world-record-breaking attempt which is set to take place on October 24-25 in Saifi Market. The Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI) and the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce are working in partnership to create the world’s largest hummus and tabbouleh dishes to reaffirm the cultural dishes as being Lebanese. 

Fady Abboud, president of ALI, addressed the conference saying: “We first noticed our foods’ piracy during the many international agricultural exhibitions that we attended, whereby Lebanese products were marketed under other appellations.” The record-breaking attempt hopes to lay claims to the dishes’ cultural heritage and dispel international belief that the dishes are Greek or Israeli in origin. “A lot of countries are trying to dishonestly appropriate these dishes and this in turn results in colossal losses,” Abboud added 

The conference acknowledged that many Levantine and Middle Eastern regions also served hummus, but it claims that the first use of the name hummus occurred in Lebanon during the mid-1950s, with the first canned hummus originating in Lebanon in 1959 by Lebanese food brand Cortas. 

Anthony al-Zoghby, Guinness world records spokesman for the event, said he hoped that the event of the [world’s-largest] hummus and tabbouleh will break the record, “especially since there is a great team working hard for the success of this event.” 

Visitors attending the event in Downtown Beirut will be invited to taste the finished product, which will consist entirely of fresh Lebanese produce. Around 8,000 parsley bouquets, 1.5 tons of hummus, 2.5 tons of lemon juice and 500 liters of olive oil will be used in creating the colossal dishes, which will be created by a team of 250 apprentice chefs overseen by renowned Chef Ramzi Choueiri. 

The two-day event, which opens its doors at 2:00 p.m. on October 24, will house two giant hummus and tabbouleh platters which will be prepared in a 600 square meter area in Saifi Market. 

The market will also contain a large exhibition area celebrating Lebanese products and will include artisans, handicrafts, souvenirs as well as entertainment from local artists.