Ottolenghi on Hummus: Food as a Force for Unity

Ottolenghi, Hummus, and the Power of Food to Unite

Yotam Ottolenghi once said hummus could bring Jerusalemites together. His words remind us that food has the power to heal divisions and create unity at the table.

Oralia Acosta

Oct 04, 2025 - 1 min read

✍️By Oralia Acosta | WBN News | 4 Oct 2025 | Click HERE for your FREE Subscription to WBN News and/or to be a Contributor.

My favorite chef, Yotam Ottolenghi, once said something that has stayed with me. Speaking about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, he remarked, “to imagine that hummus will eventually bring Jerusalemites together, if nothing else will.”

That line is simple, yet profound. It reminds us that food has a power few other things possess. A dish like hummus may seem humble, but it carries centuries of history, memory, and cultural pride. It is cherished on both sides of a divide, and in that shared love there is a seed of possibility. And potential.

Food invites us to sit together. It lowers defences and reminds us of what we have in common: taste, hunger, memory, joy. I have seen this many times when I attend gatherings where food brings people together. Laughter rises easily. Stories flow more freely.

Conversations that might have been impossible elsewhere suddenly feel natural.

Ottolenghi’s statement about hummus is also a statement about humanity. If we can share a dish, perhaps we can also share understanding. If we can sit at the same table, perhaps we can also create space for healing.

👉 Leaders and entrepreneurs, take note. Unity does not always begin in conference rooms or formal agreements. Sometimes it begins with something as simple as breaking bread and spreading Divine hummus on it!

Be courageous and share a meal with someone this week.

#Leadership #Unity #Collaboration #BusinessGrowth #Humanity #MindsetShift #OraliaAcosta #GoldenNourishCollective #NutriliciousbyOralia