Dipping creams

Delicious, appetizing, they appeal to young and old and can be healthy, very healthy! We are talking about dipping creams, that have become increasingly fashionable, and that are a very comfortable option, for an aperitif, to take between meals, as a different snack or breakfast, they give us a lot of play and are very tasty.

• There are many creams that can be prepared based on vegetables whose textures, colors and flavors can give us a lot of play in the kitchen.
• Hummus is an excellent way to introduce legumes into our diet, as it is a pleasant way to enjoy chickpeas.
• Eggplant, avocado and pepper are also the protagonists of well-known creams that we can prepare at home to enjoy their flavor and benefits.

How are dipping creams made?

They can be made from very different foods, but in general we are talking about dipping creams vegetables of very different textures, colors and flavors that can give us a lot of play in the kitchen. It is not about spoon creams but rather thicker consistency preparations that we are going to eat by “dipping” in them different kinds of sticks (bread, cucumber, carrot, red pepper…), bread or pancakes, etc. This fashion for sticks of different vegetables or even bread sticks to dip in creams is what has led to the invention of the term dipear or dippear, which comes from the verb “to dip”, in English (to dip, dip ... )

HUMMUS

Possibly the king of the festival, this preparation of Arab origin is increasing its popularity and number of followers at times. A recipe that a few years ago did not come out of the restaurants of Arabic, Lebanese food, etc., now it seems that it cannot be missing in the appetizers and snacks of many houses, especially if there are children. The basic hummus recipe is a mixture of chickpeas cooked with tahin (pasta made with sesame seeds), garlic and lemon juice in varying proportions. It is usually served, traditionally, together with pieces of pita bread that we will serve as a spoon to consume it. Lately it is also common to see that instead of pita bread it is accompanied with vegetable sticks, especially carrots, giving a touch of color and a crunchy point to the preparation. And speaking of color, it is also common to serve hummus with sweet paprika on top, which gives it a reddish finish and a different flavor note. In short, a great and simple way to consume legumes.

MUTABAL OR BABA GANOUSH

Mutabal is not as popular as hummus, we may not even recognize it by name alone, but we have probably tried it. Mutabal or baba ganoush is a Aubergine-based cream highly appreciated in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is prepared, in addition to aubergine, with lemon, cumin, garlic, tahin, olive oil, sweet paprika and ground pepper. As each cook can include their variants, sometimes we find it garnished with mint leaves, chopped coriander, parsley. The difference of baba ganoush is that it also contains pomegranate, which gives it a special touch, and that instead of crushing it, it is presented with the aubergine frayed and finely chopped but not completely chopped.

GUACAMOLE

This recipe of Aztec origin is widely used today, and has become known as part of Mexican cuisine and has become part of our tables, mainly in appetizers, but also with the versatility of being able to be part of the filling of a vegetable or simply as a side dish. It can be made spicier or milder. The most common ingredients are onion, tomato, lime juice, coriander and / or jalapeño or chili pepper that give it the spicy flavor. Ideal cream for dipping.

MOHAMMARA

It is a pepper and walnut pate native to Syria, which is made up of bell peppers, garlic, cumin and / or pepper, hot paprika, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and olive oil. It can also contain other ingredients such as breadcrumbs, pomegranate, and chilli. Like the mutabal, it is usually eaten with pita bread but we can also consume it with vegetable sticks of carrot, celery ...

Well, the typical and classic, in addition to the bread sticks, are the carrot and cucumber sticks, but we can also make sticks with celery, zucchini, baked potato or sweet potato, grilled asparagus tips, baked aubergine chips … Endless possibilities with the great variety of vegetables that exist and without resorting to frying or complicated preparations. Endive leaves or even "broccoli or cauliflower flowers" can also go well. On the other hand, if we have just sliced, we can choose naan bread, lavash bread, pita bread, or any other that has a minimum capacity to absorb or drag the cream to dip.

LABNEH

The laban, leben or labneh is a kind of typical yogurt of Arabic cuisine, It is consumed in Morocco and different countries in the Middle East. Depending on the preparation, it can be a kind of drinkable yogurt, as in Morocco, but it can also contain a lower proportion of water, thus achieving a thicker texture. In this second case, it is served as an accompaniment to meat or falafel dishes or as an aperitif. Like the rest, we can dip bread or vegetable sticks in it. The base ingredients to make it are simply milk, yogurt and dairy ferments, since it is after all fermented milk, or in other words, a more acidic type of yogurt that can sometimes also be supplemented with other ingredients such as mint, garlic, parsley, etc.

TZATZIKI

Perhaps it is one of the most characteristic elements of Greek food and also present in Turkish cuisine. A tzatziki is called cream made with Greek yogurt, cucumber, a little garlic, olive oil, mint, lemon and pepper. It is popularly eaten as a starter or aperitif accompanied by toasts, although variants can be created to accompany dishes or even complement a sandwich made with pita bread. It is a fresh, smooth and very tasty option.

OLIVE

In this case we are talking about a dip cream that can be used as an aperitif or accompaniment, but that we will not consume in large quantities as can happen with the previous ones. The olive grove is simply a kind of olive pate, and it is that its ingredients are simply olives and spices. You can also use capers, or add pepper or in some cases dried tomato, aromatic herbs such as oregano and thyme, and It is a caloric product, but no less healthy for that.