HUMMUS IN YOUR COFFEE???

The following story falls into the category of “whoda thunk it?”

Would you like hummus in your coffee?

Israeli scientists develop new milk alternative made out of chickpeas

Amir Ben-David, Yedioth Ahronoth
Published: 29 April 2010

If falafel, which is made out of chickpeas, became Israel’s national food, perhaps milk made out of chickpeas could be the next big hit. The scientists at Volcani Center, who developed the “himtza drink” are confident that it could be a great replacement for cow’s milk.

The Agriculture Ministry, in a bid to promote Israel’s chickpea growers, understood that there is a limit to how much hummus Israelis could eat. So, they started seeking out additional foods that could be made from the legume.

The world has already grown savvy of the advantages of the chickpea, and have even started making flour from it.

“From this flour, you can make cookies, good bread. It is kosher for Passover(ed note- only for Sefardim), and is acceptable for people with celiac,” said Dr. Shmuel Galili, from the Agricultural Research Organization, in an explanation of why his team decided to focus on the chickpea as a source for milk substitutes.

The recipe for making the substitute is as follows: soak chickpeas in water overnight, grind them in a blender with water, cook them, then drain the mixture and you have chickpea milk.

“Chickpeas, unlike other crops like soy beans, are a local Israeli crop, and we want to encourage farmers to increase their yield,” said Dr. Galili. “We are not familiar with such a development anywhere in the world, and hope it will develop into a true substitute to soy milk.

“People who have tasted it said it’s better tasting. Soy milk has its health benefits, but it also contains an excess of plant compounds called phytoestrogens that have a hormonal effect on people, especially pregnant women and small children. Chickpeas have less phytoestrogens,” explained Galili.

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Full story:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3878053,00.html