Over a 1000 tones of hummus were eaten last week, during Israelis Independance Day (“Yom Haatzmaut”). 400kg (881 pounds) of which in a Jerusalem event, out of a single Guiness-Record size plate.

It was last year when the American Sabra hummus manufacturer set the first Guinness Record for eating hummus in a New-York event. They served their hummus in a plate with a diameter of 3.5 meter (3.8 yards).

Last week a new the record was set in Mahaneh Yehuda market in Jerusalem: Hummus Tzabar, an Israeli hummus manufacturer, served some 400kg (881 pounds) of hummus in a 4 meter (4.35 yard) plate. This incredible hummus feast was documented of course, to verify the Guinness Record commitee it really happened. Here’s one of the pictures:

Behind the scenes there’s an anacdotal hummus rivelry here too. Sabra is now owned by Pepsico and the Straus, the Israeli opponent of Osem, the corporate that owns Tzabar. Oddly enough, “Tzabar” is the Hebrew word for “Sabra”.

The common Israeli eats an average of 10kg hummus (22 pounds) a year, half of which is packaged hummus manufactured by one of these two.

Personally, I eat a few pounds of hummus every month, and it’s always freshly made – the packaged version is a not hardly as good – but you know, 400kg of hummus… very impressive.