Several years ago my local main grocery store, Shop-Rite, went through extensive renovations. Which ended up taking a long time in total--perhaps even over a year? (If it wasn't that long, it sure seemed like it.) That period of time was very irritating. It seemed like every time I shopped, some foods and/or drinks had been moved to another aisle. I'm very much a creature of habit, so when something wasn't where I expected it to be, I was annoyed. Anyway, eventually it was over. For the past couple of years things have stayed in their usual, predictable spots, right where I expect them to reside. And, I'm forced to admit that some of the permanent changes were positive. One of these weas the addition of a specialty spread section. Which is mostly things like hummus, dips, and such, often from around the globe. That's where I got today's topics: I tried two of Mezete's offerings--their classic hummus, and something called muhammara.
The roots of Mezete are decently old--they just celebrated their centennial this year. Back in 1926 a man named Hajj Raslan Kasih founded a company which he named, creatively, Raslan Kasih and Sons. This Amman, Jordan-based business made halvah and tahini. In 1996 one of Kasih's sons, Hajj Muhammad Adnan Kasih founded the Kasih Factories Group. Apparently this was just a renaming, or reshuffling of the original company, as this business also primarily sold halvah and tahini. Other products under the Kasih brand name include olives, beans, mushrooms, chickpeas, tomatoes, and hummus. At some unspecified point Kasih introduced their Mezete brand. Its products include dips like baba ghanouj, muhammara, and hummus, sauces like various flavors of tahini sauce, a couple of soups, a few stews, and some more portable "to go" versions of the previous products, some which come with breadsticks. The current CEO of Kasih is Khaled Kasih, who is Raslan's grandson. Most or all of Kasih's products undergo a process called ultra heat treatment (UHT), which enables their wares to have long shelf lives without using preservatives. Kasih/Mezete products are exported to over 40 countries around the world.
Hummus has become quite common in the past few decades, I think, so I assume most or all readers are familiar with it. But, some may not know what muhammara is. (I didn't.) Muhammara is another kind of dip, which was developed in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The origin date is a bit vague, but I saw a date of 1981 as the latest possible birthdate. This dip is made with walnuts, red bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, bread crumbs, salt, olive oil, and sometimes lemon juice, tahini, and/or spices. Aside from being a dip, muhammara is sometimes also used as a topping for a savory pastry called manakish, or as a sauce for kebabs. A Turkish version is called acuka.
Mezete classic hummus: Had an off-white color, and a slight, chickpea-ish odor. The texture was smooth. The taste was like regular plain hummus, creamy, smooth, and very good. Not spicy, but I got the classic, non-spiced version. So this was a very respectable example of the style. I had some plain, and most of it on chips.
Mezete muhammara: This one had a brownish-red color, and a slightly spicy odor. Its appearance was not as smooth as the hummus, as I could see some chunks of pepper and such. The flavor was very nice. It was kind of sweet and spicy at the same time. I had a little plain, and most of it on chips. I was impressed either way. As tasty as the hummus was, I preferred this one a bit more. Therefore, my first experience with muhammara was a very positive one. All in all, then, I would recommend both of these enthusiastically. I'll also have to try Mezete's other products.
Additionally, I learned that a "Hajj" before the other words in a personal name signifies that they have made the sacred Muslim journey to the city of Mecca. The trip itself is called a "hajj." So it's an honorific title, based on a religious accomplishment.
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