Ethiopian Hummus (Buticha)

It’s the 10^th of the month which means it’s time to take a culinary journey around the world with the Eat The World RecipeChallenge!

This month takes us to Ethiopia!  Surprisingly, this is not the first time I’ve researched Ethiopian food – I also took a peek when I read Marcus Samuelsson’s memoir for Cook the Books Club a number of years ago (though I ultimately decided on a French recipe that time, since he is also a classically trained French chef).

So I was excited to revisit Ethiopian food and actually make it this time.  The challenge: from what I saw, Ethiopian food is very spicy (read: not kid friendly) and commonly uses the Ethiopian spice blend, Berbere (which is not available in my area).  I found a couple recipes for a homemade approximation of berbere, but I was still worried about the spice level (plus authenticity is thrown out the window).

So I kept searching and eventually came across bitucha, which is basically an Ethiopian version of hummus!  What makes this version of hummus different than others I’ve seen is the addition of mustard!

Many of the recipes I looked at simply listed “mustard” – which made the wonder – seed? Ground? Yellow? Dijon? What?!?!?

One recipe of the many called for Dijon mustard.   I took my knowledge of berbere (spicy!) and applied that to my buticha, opting for spicy brown mustard here.

Hubs was super skeptical about this hummus with the mustard (he is not a mustard fan), so I made the hummus without the mustard and did a taste test.  It was pretty good, but the raw onion flavor was pretty aggressive.  Then I added the mustard and it completely balanced the flavors!  It was amazing!  And I totally ate this for lunch the next few days!

Disclaimer: This post contains a recipe highlighting a different country or culture. While I strive for authenticity, I sometimes need to make adjustments to recipes due to ingredient availability.  

Ethiopian Hummus (Buticha)

Recipe adapted from Real Foods

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained

1 clove garlic

1/8 of an onion

½ jalapeño pepper, chopped

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard

½ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  If desired add water (or drained bean juice) to thin the buticha.

As an authentic serving suggestion, serve with injera.  As pictured this was served with pita chips and fresh vegetables.  Buticha also works as a wonderful vegan sandwich spread alternative.

Want more Ethiopian recipes?


Juli: Misir Wot - Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew Sue: Ethiopian Beef Tibs Amy: Buticha - Ethiopian Hummus Syama: Himbasha - Ethiopian Spiced Bread Evelyne: Flavor-Packed Ethiopian Shekla Tibs Lynda: Tikel Gomen (Ethiopian Cabbage & Potatoes) Wendy: Doro Wat and Atkilt Camilla: Ye’abesha Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens) Margaret: An Ethiopian Meal with Misir Wat, Signi Wat, Gomen Wat, and Speedy Injera Flatbread