I'm up to my usual tricks once more. Since it's the Spooky Season, I thought I'd report on yet another pumpkin-flavored consumable. I've mentioned many times how I find some folk's extreme annoyance and even hatred of pumpkin products in the Autumn months rather overblown and curious. In short, if you don't like pumpkin-flavored things, can't you just not buy or consume them? But, that said, I'm going to "poke the bear" and risk pissing off some of my readers for the umpteenth time. Today's is the pumpkin hommus from Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, Inc., out of Massachusetts in the U.S.A.
The Cedar's story was a little terse on the official company website, but I was able to fill in some of the gaps from an online Forbes business article. Ibrahim Hanna (who usually goes by the nickname Abe), and his wife Layla (sometimes rendered Leila), were major fans of, and makers of hommus in their native Lebanon. Eventually they immigrated to the U.S., Massachusetts more specifically. They started a company devoted to their Mediterranean favorites in 1981. In 1984 they got a huge break, as they entered a partnership with the New England chain supermarket Market Foods. Their business thrived. Currently Layla and Abe's son Charles is in charge of Cedar's. The company employs over 1000 people, and makes 145,000,000 pounds of product annually. Hommus (yes, they prefer spelling it this way, much to the annoyance of my Spell Check) is their main product, and they make it in a myriad of flavors. Some of these include original, roasted red pepper, garlic, lemon, and even chocolate (see my post on April 20, 2024 for another example of this odd flavor pairing). Aside from hommus, Cedar's also markets labne, baba ghannouj, tzatziki, taboule salad, dips, salsas, salads, and pita chips. Many (all?) of their products are Kosher, vegan appropriate, USDA organic, and free of gluten and GMOs. The company has a slogan, "It all starts with the chickpea." They pride themselves on using the best garbanzo beans, the purest water for soaking, the highest quality tahini, vegetables, and spices, and by the practice of steaming their beans rather than boiling them. Finally, Cedar's is reportedly quite active in contributing to various charities, including several YMCAs, Boy's and Girl's Clubs, and the like.
Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, Inc., pumpkin hommus: It had a brownish-yellow color, and a pumpkin-y, cinnamon-ish odor. I had some plain, and some with bread. Both ways were pretty much the same. And the taste was...really very good. It was basically like eating pumpkin pie filling. Since I adore that pie, I really enjoyed this. Maybe some "hummus/hommus purists" will reject a sweet, rather than savory example of the spreadable, but I was more than willing to scarf it down. So essentially, if you like pumpkin pie you'll probably like this too, and if you don't I would avoid it. I guess you could also play pranks on your pumpkin-flavored hater friends and secretly serve them this, and watch their appalled reactions.
Also, obviously my previous announcement that the RDG Books Anthology of which I'm a part of would be out on October 10th was incorrect. I was informed recently that the anticipated release date is now October 31st, with pre-orders available on October 21st. I'll continue to provide updates as soon as I get them.
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