To Defend the Origin of Lebanese Culinary

Super-sized food rivalry between Lebanon and Israel will see yet another round, as a new attempt to break the record for the largest hummus bowl in the world is scheduled for Saturday May 8, 2010 at the Kafaat University of Ain Saade.

A Lebanese team led by television’s Chef Ramzi broke the records of largest hummus and tabbouleh bowls back in October of last year.

Two months later, an Israeli team beat one of the records with a bowl of hummus weighing 4,090 kilograms, compared to the Lebanese one that weighed 2,050 kilograms.

Chef Ramzi will once again lead a team of 70 apprentices and students of the Kafaat culinary school to reclaim the record and defend the Lebanese origin of hummus. The one-two punch will continue on the following, day, May 9, as the chef and his team also attempt to break the record of the largest falafel platter and the biggest ceramic plate.

“We will stand together against this industrial and cultural violation and defend our economy, civilization and Lebanese heritage,” said Ramzi on Thursday.

Ramzi also noted that the “violation” of the hummus record by Israel is similar to the violations of Israeli industries that are producing hummus cans with cedar trees on their label in order to make international buyers believe the product is made in Lebanon.

The chef revealed that the new giant hummus bowl will be made with more than 2 tons of tahineh [sesame oil sauce] and 7 tons of boiled chickpeas, while the falafel platter is expected to constitute more than 130,000 individual pieces of falafel.

An adjudicator from Guinness World Records will be present on both days to evaluate the records and announce the results at 6 pm on May 9.

The event was organized with the support of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists and the Association of Lebanese Food Industries.

Nehmat Frem, who heads the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, noted that the registration deadline for the Guinness Records achievement is at the end of May, meaning that Chef Ramzi’s team must act quickly before the books close for good.

“Why do we insist on having this record? Because our Lebanese heritage and cuisine are the treasures of our country,” said Frem.

Designer Joe Kabalan is the mastermind behind the ceramic plate, which he said will exceed 5 meters in height, although Kabalan previously broke the record in October.