Rant of the Week: Haig's Middle Eastern Specialty Foods

I love hummus and baba ghannouge but it's sometimes hard to find quality brands, even in the Bay Area. I thought I found a good one a few weeks back when I purchased Raquel's Middle Eastern All-Natural Baba Ghannouj. It met my requirement of having natural ingredients I could read but it really wasn't anything special. In fact, it had a funny taste. Perhaps because they added olive oil to their recipe? In any case, it's not a product I would purchase again or recommend. And stay away from the Athenos brand... they use high fructose corn syrup.

In any case, my cooking buddy introduced me to Haig's Delicacies. Among his many talents, he just has a knack for finding great snacks. Haig's is amazing. Their products not only taste so fresh but they also are cholesterol free and have no added oil!! I have tried their Baba Ghannouge and Hummus with Fire Roasted Red Peppers and they are deliciosa. On a good week, we can make them last 3-4 days but on bad day or if the A's aren't doing so well, it can be gone in a sitting. The flavor is just right -- not one ingredient is too strong -- it melds perfectly in the mouth. These products taste good with everything -- tortilla chips, carrots, and crackers. I've been known to just dip a spoon in. I would definitely consider using it as a sandwich spread in place of mayo (though I do like mayo).

I believe Haig's is currently only available in the Bay Area. If you know of any good middle eastern and Mediterranean products do let me know.