About The Film

Can a regional love of hummus be a recipe for peace in the Middle East? One of the oldest-known foods in human history, hummus is claimed by many Middle Eastern nationalities. So when Trevor Graham, a self-described “hummus fanatic,” heard about a 2008 Lebanese plan to sue Israel for acting as if it had proprietary rights over the dish, he was intrigued and hungry for more. With Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine fighting over hummus ownership, Graham set out to explore the Middle Eastern conflict that’s not shown on the nightly news: a a war just as ferocious as any Arab-Israeli conflict—where the participants are armed not with bullets, rockets, and tanks, but rather chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, and tahini uses . Using candid interviews, amusing animations, and a parade of mouth-watering dishes, this film chronicles Graham’s humorous journey through the hummus bars and kitchens of Beirut, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and New York. Along the way he meets Jewish settlers, chefs, political activists, farmers, novelists, and sheiks—who all share a near-religious obsession with hummus.

 About the Speaker

• Mathew Rovner, blogger for The Jewish Daily Forward, hosts a talk-back after the film

 Sponsors:

• The Jewish Daily Forward
• Small Changes Inc.