Hummus vs. Hummus
Since moving to Queens, NY my favorite brand of hummus has been Sabra. Produced in Astoria it is creamy and rich, comes in an assortment of flavors, reasonably priced for the quality, and just plain delicious. It seems though, that my favorite brand of hummus has come across some competition. In my food market’s refrigerator section a new brand of hummus called Sonny and Joe’s has been introduced side by side Sabra. Sonny and Joe’s also features a creamy texture, an assortment of flavors, and is priced exactly the same as my beloved Sabra. Sonny and Joes’s is produced in Brooklyn so not only is this new hummus invading Sabra’s refrigerator it is also invading Queens’ territory. This is a bit of a battle between the big guy and the little guy as well. While both Sabra and Sonny and Joe’s started small, Sabra is now a national company that has gone through rebranding and is a partly owned by PepsiCo. Sabra’s website is extensive while Sonny and Joe’s only has a lowly Facebook page. I felt that the hummus gods were calling on me for a taste test. I decided the best way to test the two companies to strip them of all their fancy flavorings and go for the plain and unadulterated base so I procured myself a container of Sabra’s Classic Hummus and one of Sonny and Joe’s Just Hummus.
The first noticeable difference between the hummus (what is the plural of hummus anyhow?) was that Sabra’s was visually completely plain and Sonny and Joe’s had a dusting of herbs and drizzle of oil on top. Score one for Sonny and Joe’s - almost everything can be improved with a dusting of herbs and a drizzle of oil.
Sonny and Joe’s hummus has a bit more viscosity than that of Sabra. The taste is smooth and flavorful, but not pungent. There is a pronounced flavor of olive oil and one can taste the spices involved clearly. Sabra’s hummus is a bit more airy than Sonny and Joe’s; not so much as the difference between churned and whipped butter, but the Sabra is definitely a lighter and fluffier spread. The flavor of Sabra’s Classic Hummus is dominated by tahini and has a pungent quality to it. The olive oil flavorings that are present in Sonny and Joe’s Just Hummus are missing from Sabra. This got me curious and I turned to the ingredients panels of both products (I had not done so yet, as I did not wish to corrupt my palate with the ingredient information). The ingredient lists are exactly the same except for the inclusion of olive oil in Sonny and Joe’s where there is none in Sabra.
Given the better look and general taste of Sonny and Joe’s hummus I have to proclaim this new renegade hummus from Brooklyn the winner of the taste test. I am excited to explore Sonny and Joe’s other flavors including garlic, galatea olive, and roasted red pepper. My favorite flavor of Sabra Hummus is Roasted Pine Nut, so until Sonny and Joe’s comes up with a similar flavor to complete; some of my pocket money will still be finding its way into Sabra’s hands.
In the interest of full disclosure, I had my roommate try both hummus brands as well. He came up with the opposite reaction, enjoying Sabra’s pungent tanginess more than Sonny and Joe’s smooth and spiced olive oily goodness.
