Though it’s impossible to pinpoint when people first began eating houmous – its history can be traced back to at least the thirteenth century – the story of its popularity in the UK is much easier to recount. In the 1970s, more of us began holidaying in the likes of Greece and Turkey, bringing home the flavours we’d savoured there and recreating them at home. In the 1980s, houmous first appeared in supermarkets here, before becoming more widespread throughout the 1990s and increasingly popular since. At its core, houmous is a blend of four essential ingredients – chickpeas, its base, tahini, which smoothes its texture and adds nuttiness, and garlic and lemon juice, which deepen its flavour. Though recipes are tweaked for taste around the world, that combination remains largely unchanged. How it’s eaten, though, doesn’t; in the UK houmous is usually enjoyed as a dip or sandwich spread, but elsewhere it’s celebrated as the main event.

Its potential is something Ramona Hazan understands fully. She created Mediterranean food brand RAMONA’S eighteen years ago, inspired by the cooking of her Egyptian father and Turkish grandparents. Those traditional recipes have inspired the likes of its Original Houmous, as well as Jalapeño, Red Pepper and Beetroot varieties. ‘It was about using their recipes, but also giving them a twist and creating a vibrant flavour profile and a little bit of excitement,’ Ramona explains. ‘We went all out making the brand’s personality stand out with bold colours and flavours – brightening up people’s worlds, if we can.’ Tapping into Ramona’s expertise, we’ve looked at some of the ways houmous is enjoyed around the globe.

Though it’s often served as a side or dip in the UK, in other parts of the world houmous is the star of the show, often served in a shallow bowl, loaded with toppings and swiped up with pitta bread. Those fixings vary from place to place – in Levantine countries, you might find pomegranate seeds, or mint, parsley and paprika, while the Middle Eastern dish houmous bil lahme uses spiced lamb and pine nuts. In Israel and Egypt, houmous is often served with fava beans, egg and raw onion slices (which provide a clean, crisp taste to contrast with creamy houmous). Though we might often look to meat or fish as a meal’s focal point in the UK, these recipes flip that ratio, putting the pulses centre stage and using meat and other toppings to enhance them.

By pigeonholing houmous as just a dip, we miss out on its huge potential, Ramona says – instead, it should be seen as a neutral base which not only pairs well with most food, but enhances it. ‘Houmous is undervalued in terms of how much of a blank canvas it is,’ she explains. ‘You’ve got this creaminess which absolutely enhances whatever you’re having it with. We’re talking about humble ingredients and, if you’re doing it right, in my opinion you shouldn’t taste any of them – there should be a homogenised harmony of ingredients that just tastes brilliant.’

The convivial buzz of mezze, with families passing round new dishes and reaching for old favourites, helped to inspire RAMONA'S. Taken from a Persian word meaning ‘a pleasant taste’, mezze is typically a selection of small dishes served as appetisers or a meal in themselves, not dissimilar to Spanish tapas and Italian antipasti. And, served alongside the likes of baba ghanoush, flatbreads and falafel, the feast is rarely complete without houmous – Ramona says it’s the bridge which connects mezze’s salads, breads and meats. ‘Our way of showing love is through abundance,’ Ramona smiles. ‘You feel loved if there’s a table of abundance. With mezze you’re enjoying lots of little things, which creates a buzz. There’s the ‘can you pass me that’ and ‘oh did you try that one?’ They aren’t big dishes and they aren’t expensive dishes, it’s lots of flavours marrying together and it’s as much about the passing to one another as it is about the food. It creates a party and I believe that, in essence, is what we sell.’ That’s why, she says, RAMONA’S houmous comes in 500g pots – all the better for sharing.

We might be more used to eggs, toast and cereal, but houmous is a staple breakfast around the Levant and Middle East, where it is often topped with chickpeas, tomatoes and cucumber for a nutritious start to the day or, as in fattet houmous, combined with toasted pita chips, pine nuts and fresh parsley. Ramona agrees that houmous is the perfect start to the day – she encourages people to spread it on toast or mop it up with bread, tomatoes and eggs in shakshuka. ‘What’s really interesting is if people just gave it a try, they’d probably find their whole diet and way of thinking changes,’ she says. ‘How can I stay full for longer? How can I get my kids to stay full for longer? That’s what houmous does. I can’t think of a meal houmous doesn’t work for.’

Though houmous is already a regular addition to our sandwiches, wraps and burgers, we can still take inspiration from other countries around the world, where it is a key part of the street food scene. That includes Israel’s shawarma, which is loaded with salad, vegetables and houmous, and sabich, an aubergine and egg sandwich which often includes houmous. In Lebanon, houmous pairs perfectly with shish kebabs, as well as with Mediterranean falafel.

While there’s no denying that houmous makes a brilliant dip or sandwich filling, we should explore its untapped potential, Ramona says, whether that’s taking inspiration from around the world or simply being creative with what we have. And don’t be limited by geographic boundaries – houmous is great with pasta, she says, in salads as a vibrant dressing, with eggs on toast and as an accompaniment to savoury-sweet options like mango chutney. ‘If people gave it more of a chance and tried it with different things, they’d be very surprised at its versatility,’ she says. ‘There’s a good reason why RAMONA’S comes in larger tubs, because it gives people permission to test it without feeling like they’re wasting it. It doesn’t have to be about Middle Eastern or Mediterranean or Levantine food; just try it with everything and you’ll be surprised at how well it works.’