Can You Buy Hummus in French Supermarkets?

[DBK]

We have had a few "healthy" lunches recently using hummus with a mixture of various vegetables to dip in it. Next Monday we arrive in France and we will at least try to keep up the healthy diet.

But, I don't remember ever seeing it for sale in French supermarkets. I'm sure you can get it in the big cities but we avoid those.

Plan A is to make it ourselves but it would be more convenient to buy some!

So, the question is in the title. Can we buy hummus in the land of haute cuisine?

 

[Dorset Diver]

Readily available, and often a bigger choice than you will find in the UK.

 

[Jenben]

You can buy it in French supermarkets, it’s often not displayed in the area with couscous , grated carrot etc. Only in bigger supermarkets too.

From memory it’s often found in a chilled cabinet where they have prepared fish and prawn, no idea why !

 

[Dutch 68]

I always eat healthy in France, dairy is good for you and I at least triple my cheese intake when in France and I eat plenty of cheese when home lol, being Dutch I grew up with cheese for breakfast and lunch every day, and Vla, anyone tried that? Vla comes in all sorts of different flavours, give it a try next time you pass

 

[DBK]

I always eat healthy in France, dairy is good for you and I at least triple my cheese intake when in France and I eat plenty of cheese when home lol, being Dutch I grew up with cheese for breakfast and lunch every day, and Vla, anyone tried that? Vla comes in all sorts of different flavours, give it a try next time you pass

We are aiming to find some local cheeses on this trip. Main objective is to find some unpasteurised Camembert which from what I've read is available from a few outlets. There are also some cheeses from Brittany made by monks which I'm hoping to find.

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[Ridgeway]

 

[Dutch 68]

We are aiming to find some local cheeses on this trip. Main objective is to find some unpasteurised Camembert which from what I've read is available from a few outlets. There are also some cheeses from Brittany made by monks which I'm hoping to find.

If you ever get near westmalle in Belgium , on the same complex where the monks make the famous Belgium beer is a small cheese maker department, making very small badges of cheese from milk from their own cows

 

[Dorset Diver]

We are aiming to find some local cheeses on this trip. Main objective is to find some unpasteurised Camembert which from what I've read is available from a few outlets. There are also some cheeses from Brittany made by monks which I'm hoping to find.

Beware of the Monk made cheeses, they can be very habit forming .

 

[DBK]

Beware of the Monk made cheeses, they can be very habit forming .

I bought some monk-brewed beer in Belgium. It was 10.2% in strength. I suspect their cheeses might be similar in eye-wateringlyness. (if that's a word).

 

[yodeli]

no idea why

Because we make "canapés" with it (small toasts) , and so they display it where you can find all sorts of things to spread on like lump eggs black ones and red ones, salmon purée, and all sorts of things you need to make a nice "apéritif dinatoire"

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[Dutch 68]

If you ever get near westmalle in Belgium , on the same complex where the monks make the famous Belgium beer is a small cheese maker department, making very small badges of cheese from milk from their own cows

Batches even

 

[Lenny HB]

We have had a few "healthy" lunches recently using hummus

 

[Tombola]

Yes but they call it "merd"

 

[Jenben]

Because we make "canapés" with it (small toasts) , and so they display it where you can find all sorts of things to spread on

Thanks for that , it now makes sense

 

[jumar]

Hummus is so easy to make...no cooking involved if you used pre cooked chickpeas, you can add your own flavours to suit....plenty of recipes on the net...

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[Ridgeway]

Hummus is so easy to make...no cooking involved if you used pre cooked chickpeas, you can add your own flavours to suit....plenty of recipes on the net...

This is very true but really you need a blender and not sure DBK carries one ? Here i always make my own now, roughly once a month plus a simple flatbed to go with it

 

[Widge]

This is very true but really you need a blender and not sure DBK carries one ? Here i always make my own now, roughly once a month plus a simple flatbed to go with it

My wife has a small hand blender/chopper which she thinks is brilliant and uses all the time for chopping, i asked if she thinks it would do humas, her reply was yes probably but you would need the chick peas very soft.
I think it was a few euros from Temu.

 

[DBK]

This is very true but really you need a blender and not sure DBK carries one ? Here i always make my own now, roughly once a month plus a simple flatbed to go with it

We don't normally carry a blender but we were going to this time. We might still do as I think Mrs DBK was looking forward to making hummus.

 

[RedFrame]

This is very true but really you need a blender and not sure DBK carries one ? Here i always make my own now, roughly once a month plus a simple flatbed to go with it

If he's happy with "rustic" (a little more lumpy) Hummus then a stick blender will do the job and produce far tastier results than shop bought.

Tinned chick peas also suffice.

Cheers
Red

 

[trophychap]

You can generally buy Hummus from local markets too. But always ask the price first!! some friends of ours bought some from a Sunday Market in the local village when we were at Le Couderc in "Dordogneshire" a few years ago cost them seven euro's for in my opinion a quite small tub, they did say it was very nice but they too conceded that it was overpriced.

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[sedge]

Which I remember well too, since they were camped next door. I'm now intrigued by the flatbed someone makes at the same time as hummus and wondered if it was a seven and half ton one or what ?

(and Oh yes, I do know what they meant ....)

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

a simple flatbed to go with it

You need rather a lot of HUMMUS to spread on that!!!

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

Hummus is so easy to make...

I have made it quite successfully using just a fork. It took quite a time, we were in Morocco being very lazy, but, bought a mini blender in the first bit of civilization we came to. Still have it in the van and it works fine off our small non sinewave inverter. There is just no comparison between home made and shop bought. Shop bought is just tasteless by comparison. (In my opinion)

 

[jumar]

I think I may be involved in starting a Hummus thread by accident...good quality Extra Virgin Olive oil is a must.

 

[scotjimland]

Just tried making some Hummus.. plenty of ideas online

I just used what I had to hand

Can of chickpeas, drained
1 roast pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Salt
3 tbs Olive oil
1/2 lemon juice
some liquid from the chickpeas

Turned out really nice..

thanks for idea

DBK jumar

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[denisejoe]

Denise makes Humus with a stick blender that a small inverter would be able to power.

 

[Widge]

Just tried making some Hummus.. plenty of ideas online

I just used what I had to hand

Can of chickpeas, drained
1 roast pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Salt
3 tbs Olive oil
1/2 lemon juice
some liquid from the chickpeas

Turned out really nice..

thanks for idea

DBK jumar

Moh (Jane) tends to start from dried chick peas and uses bi-carb in water when she cooks them, which helps to soften them up, but also loosens the skins so they can be easily removed, this makes a realy smooth creamy humas.

 

[RedFrame]

Just tried making some Hummus.. plenty of ideas online

I just used what I had to hand

Can of chickpeas, drained
1 roast pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Salt
3 tbs Olive oil
1/2 lemon juice
some liquid from the chickpeas

Turned out really nice..

thanks for idea

DBK jumar

A couple of things that I would change in that recipe, the first to note is that, if you're on a health kick like DBK then reduce the olive oil and increase the chick pea juice.

Also I wouldn't consider making Hummus without using tahini, I usually make my own but it's easy to come by in shops.

This is what I'd suggest as a base...

3 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 Garlic cloves chopped fine
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
3 Tbsp of Lemon Juice

Can of chickpeas (better a fresh batch out of the pressure cooker)
A pinch of salt.
Juice from Chick peas

Blend everything but the Chick peas, Salt and Juice until you have a paste, I don't know why but it makes a huge difference to taste.

Add Chick peas, Salt and some juice...

Blend and add more juice as you see fit until you reach a consistency you like. Taste on the way, and add more lemon juice instead of chick pea juice to increase "tang", add smoked paprika to counter the lemon juice...

Once you've got your base down pat, which may take a few attempts, then adding pesto, sundried tomatoes etc etc is a breeze...

Making your own pitta breads on the cadac to dip can be fun too...

Cheers
Red.

 

[The Wino]

A couple of things that I would change in that recipe, the first to note is that, if you're on a health kick like DBK then reduce the olive oil and increase the chick pea juice.

Also I wouldn't consider making Hummus without using tahini, I usually make my own but it's easy to come by in shops.

This is what I'd suggest as a base...

3 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 Garlic cloves chopped fine
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
3 Tbsp of Lemon Juice

Can of chickpeas (better a fresh batch out of the pressure cooker)
A pinch of salt.
Juice from Chick peas

Blend everything but the Chick peas, Salt and Juice until you have a paste, I don't know why but it makes a huge difference to taste.

Add Chick peas, Salt and some juice...

Blend and add more juice as you see fit until you reach a consistency you like. Taste on the way, and add more lemon juice instead of chick pea juice to increase "tang", add smoked paprika to counter the lemon juice...

Once you've got your base down pat, which may take a few attempts, then adding pesto, sundried tomatoes etc etc is a breeze...

Making your own pitta breads on the cadac to dip can be fun too...

Cheers
Red.

Agree on the tahini I don't think it's really hummus without it

 

[Puddleduck]

I always eat healthy in France, dairy is good for you and I at least triple my cheese intake when in France and I eat plenty of cheese when home lol, being Dutch I grew up with cheese for breakfast and lunch every day, and Vla, anyone tried that? Vla comes in all sorts of different flavours, give it a try next time you pass

I just looked up Vla (and a recipe to make it). Might try some in a day or two and see if the grandson will eat it. He is very fussy foodwise.

Lidl had a hand blender plus assorted accessories a while back. I bought two, one for home and one for the van. I like smooth soups!

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