Hummus vocabulary with English, Hebrew & transliterations
You’ve landed at Ben Gurion International Airport and made it through immigration. Now, as thoughts turn to your first meal in Israel, one word comes to mind: hummus. But before you order, there are a few essentials worth knowing.
The key ingredients of hummus are chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic. Hummus is often served with a side-dish of pickled vegetables (Heb: hammutzim); olives, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, baby eggplant and green spicy peppers as well as some raw onion.
Israelis do not eat hummus – they wipe hummus. A group of hungry friends will say “Let’s go and wipe some hummus” – Bo LeNagev Ketzat Hummus.
- Follow the humble chickpea on its journey from pea to plate
- Hebrew slang words you must learn
- Hummus establishments worth trying – reader’s picks
- More Hebrew word sheets like this
To eat hummus like a local, break off a piece of pita and use it to scoop—almost “wipe”—through the spread before taking a bite. Reach for a knife or fork, and you’ll immediately give yourself away as a newcomer with no previous hummus-eating experience.
Now that you understand the basic concepts you are ready to use these words to order and experience this hearty food.
| English | Transliteration | Hebrew |
| Chick peas (dry legume) | Gargiray Hummus | גרגירי חומוס |
| Hummus | Hummus | חומוס |
| Hummus with mashed chickpeas | Hummus im gargirim | חומוס עם גרגירים |
| Hummus with Ful (fava beans) | Hummus im ful | חומוס עם פול |
| Hummus with meat | Hummus im basar | חומוס עם בשר |
| Hummus with tahina | Hummus im tahina | חומוס עם טחינה |
| Hummus with pine-nuts | Hummus im Tznobarim | חומוס עם צנוברים |
| Hummus with mushrooms | Hummus im Pitriyot | חומוס עם פטריות |
| Hummus with falafel | Hummus im Falafel | חומוס עם פלאפל |
| Lemon | Limon | לימון |
| Olive oil | Shemen zayit | שמן זית |
| Parsley | Petrozillia | פטרוזיליה |
| Tahina | Tehina | טחינה |
| Pickled vegetables | Hammutzim | חמוצים |
| Come, let’s eat (wipe) hummus! | Bo LeNagev Ketzat Hummus | בא לנגב קצת חומוס |
| Can I have a plate of hummus | Efshar mana hummus | אפשר מנה חומוס |
| Can I have more pita please | Ani rotzeh od pita bevakasha | אני רוצה עוד פיתה בבקש |
| Garlic | Shum | שום |
There are many combinations and recipes for hummus; Hummus Lebanoni, Hummus Abu Gosh, Hummus Yerushalmi are just a few.
When you are confident enough to make your own hummus, you can experiment with herbs and spices like cumin and zaatar, until you find the flavor you like best.
Is it okay to eat hummus everyday? Why not, it’s rich in protein, filling and delicious. An old saying holds true – “If anyone stops you, call a policeman”.
