Chickpeas are the foundation of the Ikarian diet and have been since Neolithic times. Over the centuries, Ikarian cooks have found hundreds of unique ways to transform beans, chickpeas, lentils, and split peas into tasty dishes.
A key ingredient to the blue zones diet is our belief that beans add healthy years to life. In this regard, hummus is the perfect food. Ikarians make this variation lighter than what you’d typically find at stores or in restaurants by leaving out tahini and making up the flavor with parsley and red wine vinegar. While islanders always make theirs with dried chickpeas, grown locally, it’s perfectly OK to use canned beans as a timesaver.
1 pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked until soft (or three 15-ounce cans, drained)
2 to 3 cloves garlic
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1⁄4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt (optional)
Put cooked chickpeas and garlic in a food processor or high-powered blender and blend until roughly pureed.
Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar.
Sprinkle with parsley and salt to taste.
Serve with raw vegetables, pita, or good, crusty bread for dipping.
The Blue Zones Kitchen fuses scientific reporting, National Geographic photography and 100 recipes that may help you live to 100. The Blue Zones’ food tradition is going the way of the dodo bird, thanks to the encroachment of the American Food Culture.
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