Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Hummus

Unlock the perfect flavour pairings for hummus according to data science. Explore unique recipes and discover the hidden mathematics of flavour.

Hummus immediately conjures the evocative embrace of sesame and the bracing kiss of garlic, but beneath its umaminess lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as bean, olive, and hints of butter that give it remarkable depth. Understanding how these elements interplay is the secret to unlocking truly exceptional pairings.

To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our findings reveal, for instance, how beef mince's ferrous tones can ground hummus, or how white rice's oryzan notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the roasted aroma.

An ingredient's flavour comes from its core characteristics, like acidic, earthy, and maillard, combined with its unique aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim to include a broad variety of core characteristics for a balanced dish. And choose aroma notes that complement each other for a harmonious combination.

The Flavour Code

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Sesame Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between sesame and rice flavours. Since hummus has a distinct sesame flavour, try pairing it with the rice-like flavours of white rice.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing hummus with white rice.

Harmonious Flavours Of Hummus

Just as our analysis highlighted that sesame and koji flavour notes often complement each other, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in hummus. For instance, the garlicy flavours of hummus are strongly associated with ironny and beefy notes.

The notes linked to the various aromas of hummus can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of beef mince offers many of the aroma accents complementary to hummus, including ferrous and bovine accents. Because the flavour profile of beef mince has many of the of the features that are complementary to hummus, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of beef mince across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with hummus.

Recipes That Pair Hummus With Beef Mince

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of hummus, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of hummus, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the accents complementary to hummus.

What To Drink With Hummus

The rice notes in sake make it a perfect pairing with hummus. Likewise, the rice flavours in rice wine create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of hummus below.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Hummus), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.