Originally Posted by dschl
Hummus should really have tahini in it (sesame seed paste), it makes a huge difference in flavour, not to mention that is how it is made in the middle east, where hummus originated. You can find a couple of recipes are linked from the
Wikipedia article. And I didn't think it was possible to overdo garlic, but then I've been known to use entire heads rather than just cloves of garlic when cooking.
Actually when I first started making hummus, I did make it with Tahini because I knew you were supposed to make it with that. However, tahini is EXTREMELY high in fat. I tried it with and without and I do not notice the difference in taste. I've been eating hummus (with and without tahini) for many years (I live in an area with a LOT of greek and persian restaurants) and don't notice any significant difference in taste sans tahinia. That's my $.02.
As for the garlic...I thought the same thing you did about no such thing as too much. However, there is a big difference between when you use garlic in foods you cook and foods that are raw. Garlic loses it's "kick" when its cooked (just like hot peppers do). I find that a batch of hummus (1 can chick peas) gets too much kick to be good if you use more than about 2 or 3 cloves of garlic (tops).