Shai Haddad loves hummus. So much so that his wife sometimes describes his passion as an obsession. A few years ago, his love for this dish led him on a quest for the perfect hummus. From his quest, the Baba Hummus company was born and, in recent days, a boutique with a concept inspired by the Middle East.
“Hummus is not a dip,” says Shai Haddad, who hosted The Press in his kitchen to prepare some variations of this chickpea-based dish. In his eyes, in North America, hummus is too often presented as a snack, while elsewhere in the world, notably in Israel, where he was born, it is a “super good”, nutritious, filling main dish. , served at lunch or dinner.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Shai Haddad, founder of Baba Hummus, in the kitchen
A meal to share during which guests dig into the same dish. “It’s an emotional experience for me, hummus. […] The social aspect is very strong,” says this enthusiast who loves entertaining those around him for dinner.
At our place, we like to welcome people. We like to eat. We don’t eat because we’re hungry, we eat for fun, for fun.
Shai Haddad
This way of thinking was instilled in him by his father, to whom he pays homage through his company Baba Hummus, “baba” meaning “dad” in Arabic. It is also the father’s face that appears on the brand’s logo. “But he’s not the one who makes the hummus. He’s going to want to say it’s him, but it’s not him,” jokes our interlocutor, while browning mushrooms in the pan.
From Israel to Montreal
Because the quest for the best hummus is not his father’s, but his own. “I have two great loves in my life,” begins Shai Haddad, before hastening to correct himself. Three great loves! You shouldn’t say that to my wife. »
“First, there is my partner,” he corrects himself, with a smile. But after that, it’s hip-hop and hummus. »
The man who had a musical career in Israel in the early 1990s and 2000s, after spending his adolescence in Montreal, noticed one thing upon his return to the metropolis in 2013: “There is no good hummus. » At least, not like the very creamy one he used to eat in Israel, especially in Haifa, the city of his childhood. His searches were unsuccessful.
His solution? Cooking hummus yourself. “But it didn’t go very well,” he confides, laughing.
From that moment on, he experimented a lot to find the perfect combination to create a smooth, creamy hummus. On the weekend, he prepares it for fun, then lets those around him taste it.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The texture of hummus sought by Shai Haddad, here on a slice of red onion
For inspiration, he even made a “hummus pilgrimage” to Israel in 2015. “In different hummus places, I asked questions to find out how it was made. But, obviously, they didn’t tell me,” he says, while cutting vegetables.
Cries of joy
Back home, the full-time tech worker continued searching for the perfect combination of chickpeas, tahini, water and spices.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Shai Haddad says he found the perfect hummus recipe.
Two or three times a week I tried to find the right recipe. And there, at a given moment, I take my blender. [….] I make the famous hummus. I taste. I cried with joy.
Shai Haddad
Finally ! He had achieved the much desired balance.
What are the secrets of this winning recipe? “You have to choose very nice chickpeas. People don’t think about that. It’s like coffee. Good beans don’t taste the same,” replies this great espresso lover. Kabuli type chickpeas are the ones he uses.
Opt for dried legumes and not canned ones, also advises Shai Haddad. “Otherwise it tastes like metal,” says the man who describes himself as a “hummus maker” on his company’s website. An invented term that he compares to a “sommelier”. “I’m someone who can taste different hummus and say this one has garlic, this one has vinegar…” he laughs.
According to him, it is also very important to remove the skins from the chickpeas when cooking in order to obtain a very creamy hummus. The tahini used must also be of good quality and contain only sesame, he adds.
The following
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Using good quality, sesame-only tahini is important, says Shai Haddad.
When he began his quest for the perfect hummus, Shai Haddad didn’t have commercialization in mind. Then, faced with the enthusiasm of his family, friends and colleagues, he created Baba Hummus products, available in around twenty points of sale around the metropolis, as well as online.
Last week, the company took another step: the opening of a store in the South-West, in Montreal. On site, customers will be able to taste freshly prepared hummus, in the spirit of what is done in Israel, or buy a container to take away. This delicatessen will also offer various quality imported products, such as olive oil from Italy or coffee from Lebanon.
Boutique Baba Hummus, 1487, rue Le Caron, Montreal