Friday, May 9, 2008

Forty Theagues.

Hiding for a century and a half in the footnotes of Sir Richard Burton's first translation of One Thousand and One Nights, purportedly fabricated during Scheherazade's nine hundred thirteenth night, creamily woven into the sixth tale of Sinbad, wherein he falls victim to the pleasantest of doldrums as his vessel is stranded in a sea of the most delicious hummus:

Made-Up Hummus

2 cans of chick peas
1 large clove of garlic
2 lemons, juice of
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy milk
3 tbsp tahini
1/2 tbsp cholula (or other hot sauce)
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder

Add chick peas to the food processor, setting aside the liquid from one of the cans. Combine all ingredients in the food processor and puree. Add chickpea liquid until you reach the consistency you like. Salt to taste.

Variations:

1. Smooth - Omit hot sauce add 2 tbsp cream cheese

2. Tangy - Replace hot sauce with crushed red pepper, add 1/3 cup cilantro and 1 tsp onion salt

3. Decadent - Replace soy milk and sugar with whipped cream (to taste)

4. Rasta - Replace lemons with 1/2 grapefruit, add 1/3 cup cilantro

5. Extreme - Replace all ingredients with Mountain Dew

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i chug that last variation everyday!

-melissa

Anonymous said...

"Forky theagues" appears in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, page 176, line 13. You have "Forty Theagues" (perhaps Forty Thieves??). In any case, I have been searching for Scheherazade's nine hundred thirteenth night, sixth tale of Sinbad the Sailor in Richard Burton's One Thousand and One Nights, first edition for a reference and cannot find anything. There must be a footnote for hummus with the reference Forty Theagues or Forky Theagues (per Joyce's FW) in Sinbad the Sailor. I have been unable to find anything on the web. Any help would be appreciated.
Many Thanks, John
tpjdoes@gmail.com

PS
I have Selected Tales from the Arabian Nights translated by Richard F. Burton. I read the whole Sindbad the Seaman section without finding anything. Maybe if I find an unedited version of Burton's Arabian Nights, I'll find the reference I'm looking for.