There are very few foods I hate. Even if I’m not particularly fond of a food, say cauliflower for instance, it can usually be cooked by some method that will yield delicious results.
I’ve been making a number of dishes recently in an attempt to “use my pantry down”, and there has been a flavor in some of those dishes that instantly turned me off. It’s tahini.
Hummus has been a frequent backpacking/hiking food of mine, but it was a choice made out of convenience, not taste. In fact, I’ve completely refrained from hummus during the last few months out of disgust for it, probably because it contains tahini.
The realization hit me today (that I hate tahini) after making a “cheese” dip. The ingredients were super normal – silken tofu, nutritional yeast, spices… and tahini. At first I enjoyed the dip, but as I progressed into eating it, I realized that flavor was there, and it dawned on me that those dishes I’d been making the past couple of weeks that tasted off to me all contained tahini.
So I’ve made the decision – no more for me. If any of my Asheville friends are reading this and want an almost full jar of organic tahini, let me know. I’m about to embark on a quest to de-tahini-fy foods like hummus, dips, etc.
Any suggestions on tahini-free hummus?
Ahimsa 
July 17, 2011 at 11:32 pm
I feel ya on the tahini! I buy tahini-free hummus at my local Trader Joe’s. It’s labeled as such, amongst their 35473948547958 kinds of hummus, haha!
July 27, 2011 at 8:07 pm
I didn’t know they had tahini-less hummus at Trader Joe’s. Next time I’m in my hometown I’ll swing by and pick some up. Unfortunately Asheville is crazy and doesn’t have a Trader Joe’s yet.
July 18, 2011 at 8:22 am
first things I think of to try (unsweetened of course) – peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower seed butter (if you can even find that w/o sugar?) … good luck! =)
July 27, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Thanks for your suggestions! I’m worried peanut butter would be too… peanutty, but sunflower or almond could def work! I’ll be giving those a try soon. 🙂
February 7, 2012 at 9:42 pm
After decades of making, ordering and eating hummus, I just last year encountered “tahini-free” hummus at TJ’s. After wondering what was the point, and who would want THAT, a food with its number two ingredient missing, I stumbled across this site. Different strokes….but it hardly seems like BG without. Not to be a total party pooper, I bring as a suggestion the addition of a quality yoghurt (e.g. TJ’s European Style). It has the added merit of being traditional in many of the cultures that originated BG / mutabal.
July 4, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Some of us are allergic to tahini, so the only way to enjoy hummus is with it missing.