Ali Karavan (better known as Abu Hassan) started selling hummus from a cart in 1959 and opened his first brick and mortar spot on Ha-Dolphin Street in Jaffa in 1972. Today, there are three Abu Hassan locations and generations of hummus lovers have grown up enjoying his hummus, msabbaha, and of course, the house’s legendary “triangle” dish — a combination of hummus, ful, and msabbaha. It has garnered hundreds of thousands of fans as well as a few staunch opponents who insist they know better.

Abu Hassan is a rare example of a place that has maintained its quality over time. Even the addition of eggs on top, and the fries and falafel introduced at the two large branches on Shivtei Israel Street, have not managed to spoil the hummus.

Hummus. Photo: Noam Preisman

“I’ve been eating at Abu Hassan since I was six,” says food writer Hilik Gurfinkel. Israeli film director and comedian who left the entertainment world to become a rabbi, “Uri Zohar’s son, Ephraim, took me there for the first time. [Many years later,] I brought my children there as well. Abu Hassan is much more than just hummus; it symbolizes everything local — not only Arab and Jaffa but, believe it or not, also Israeli. It proves that if you really want something [like a place for Jews and Arabs to eat together], anything is possible. While there may be hummus as good as or even better than Abu Hassan’s, and some iconic hummus spots in other cities, nothing compares to it. It offers a sense of stability in our otherwise uncertain lives here.”