On 30 May 1987, Waitrose announced the introduction of a new range of dips: tzatziki, taramasalata and hummus. This was the first time they had appeared on supermarket shelves in the UK and they were so novel that they needed explaining. Hummus “is a traditional Middle Eastern hors d’oeuvre made with chickpeas and sesame seeds,” the label advised, under an illustration of palm trees and minarets. Fast forward 36 years, and our appetite for dips appears bottomless. They – and their partners in crime, crispy snacks – are a shopping basket and restaurant staple, and not a summer or Christmas goes by without a new limited-edition dip causing a storm online.
They’ve become “mandatory”, says restaurateur David Carter, whose latest opening Oma has received rave reviews of its “showstopping” hummus.
