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    Your Hummus Habit Could Be Good For The Earth

    High in fiber and protein, chickpeas are playing a starring role on menus. They're also good for soil health — and growing demand could help restore soils depleted by decades of intensive farming.
    by Whitney Pipkin Jul 10, 2019 4 minutes
    High in fiber and protein, chickpeas are playing a starring role on menus at fast-casual chains like Little Sesame in Washington, where hummus bowls abound. Chickpeas also are good for soil health — and growing demand could help restore soils depleted by decades of intensive farming.

    Hummus is having a heyday with American consumers, and that could be as good for the soil as it is for our health.

    Formerly relegated to the snack aisle in U.S. grocery stores, the chickpea-based dip has long starred as the smooth centerpiece of Middle Eastern meals and, increasingly, plant-based diets. Occasionally, it even doubles as dessert. Last year, Americans spent four times as much money on grocery store hummus as they did a decade before, according to the latest consumer surveys, and a growing number of snacks and fast-casual concepts also feature the fiber- and protein-rich chickpea as their pièce de résistance.

    Part of a subcategory of legumes called pulses, chickpeas — along with lentils, dry peas and several to expand interest in these ancient foods and their potential to help solve dueling modern-day conundrums: hunger and soil depreciation.

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