BEIRUT — The latest conflict cooking between Lebanon and Israel is all about food: Lebanese businessmen are accusing Israel of stealing traditionally Middle Eastern dishes like hummus.

Fadi Abboud, president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, said Tuesday his group was planning to raise a lawsuit to stop Israel from marketing hummus and other dishes as Israeli.

Hummus is a spread made from cooked and mashed chickpeas, usually blended with sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.

A Lebanese chef pours olive oil on a hummus dish at a restaurant in Beirut October 8, 2008. REUTERS/Cynthia Karam

Eaten in the Middle East for centuries, its exact origin is unknown, though it’s generally seen as an Arab dish. The Lebanese claim it as their own and it’s a central part of their cuisine — though Palestinians also claim to have invented it.
It has also become enormously popular in Israel, common in everyday meals and served in many Israeli restaurants. It has also become popular internationally.

“It is not enough they (Israelis) are stealing our land. They are also stealing our civilization and our cuisine,” said Abboud.

Abboud said there have been numerous complaints by Lebanese businessmen that Israel was exporting and marketing Lebanese dishes as Israeli.

It’s not clear where and before what court the Lebanese would file such a suit — Lebanon and Israel are still in a state of war and any contact with the Jewish state is punishable by a prison term here.

Israel’s Food Industries Association and the Foreign Ministry both declined comment.

Abboud says the lawsuit will be based on the precedent of Greek feta cheese. In 22, Greece won exclusive rights to use the name feta in the European Union after a long court case with Denmark.

But that ruling — which specifies that any cheese called feta must be made with Greek sheep and goats milk — is only valid for products sold in the EU. There is no similar regional body with jurisdiction over Lebanon and Israel.

Abboud told The Associated Press that his food industry group has submitted an official request to the Ministry of Economy for a registration process to brand hummus — a procedure that could take “up to a year.” He said the branding would open the door for any legal action by the Lebanese government.

Abboud said his group wants a Lebanese branding for several dishes, including hummus, the eggplant spread baba ghannouj and tabbouleh, a salad made of chopped parsley and tomatoes.

“We cannot sue until we have registered the products. First Lebanon must register the products so it becomes property rights,” Abboud said.

He predicted an uphill battle, particularly over hummus — which along with Israel, Palestinians also claim as its own.

“Hummus might be debatable, in any case we will be happy if the Palestinians win… But nobody can even discuss whether tabbouleh or baba ghannouj are Lebanese,” Abboud added.

“We don’t have to win. The important thing is to try,” he said of the legal action.