I don’t eat hummus so often, and I hadn’t even before moving to Berlin. So most of the time I’m okay with being away from a decent bowl of hummus.

More than hummus, I miss Sabich or lamb kebabs in a good soft pita. I miss the Israeli way of eating out – ordering dishes to the center of the table and sharing them, eating together, experience food together. The togetherness of eating is a concept that I appreciate and I seldom see here in Berlin. But I rarely miss eating a bowl of hummus. I do enjoy it when I do, but I don’t feel the urge in my gut.

Surprisingly, this week I had a huge craving for hummus and no willingness to make any effort to make it. Next thing I know, a dear friend of mine invited me over for a homemade hummus lunch. I volunteered to make pitas, and we had a beautiful filling, crave-pleasing lunch, and I got to take some leftovers home.

Today, I wanted to eat the hummus with a fork because I didn’t have pitas and also, I eat enough carbs already. Without a pita, this dish needed some elevation to be more filling and hearty. So I fried an onion in olive oil until golden, I added mushroom slices and stir-fried on medium-high heat until roasted and earthy, with lovely warm seasoning to compliments the hummus flavor. I plated the hummus in a small, low bowl, drizzled some olive oil and paprika, and a large spoonful of the mushrooms on top, and it was just perfect. I didn’t have parsley so I used chopped scallions instead, to add freshness. And, wow, it is beautiful. This is the Israeli heart, right here, in Berlin.