There’s a first of its kind restaurant on campus called House of Hummus by Chabad. Chabad opened House of Hummus at the beginning of September in the Minnesota Marketplace for the 2019-2020 academic year. House of Hummus is a restaurant that provides high quality, mediterranean and kosher food for students and staff at the University of Minnesota. Not only is House of Hummus certified kosher and halal, but they also offer vegan and vegetarian options to cater to the dietary needs of others. Whether kosher or not, House of Hummus believes everyone on campus should be able to enjoy the flavors of the middle east.
What is Chabad?
Chabad at the University of Minnesota is an Jewish organization on campus directed by Rabbi Yitzi Steiner and his wife Chavi Steiner. Chabad is a place where Jewish students can socialize with friends and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of their heritage.
Why did Chabad open a restaurant?
In recent years there has been anti-semitism on campus. The University of Minnesota came to Yitzi Steiner with the intention of supporting the Jewish community. Together, they decided to open the first kosher restaurant on campus. Steiner chose mediterranean because he knew it was popular elsewhere but didn’t exist in the marketplace.
What does certified kosher mean?
Kashrut, meaning fit, is one of the pillars of Judaism that describes the fitness of food. When a food has been obtained and prepared using the strictest kosher standards it is known as glatt kosher. A kosher animal is any mammal that chews a cud and has a cloven foot.
Animals need to be slaughtered in the correct way in order to be kosher. The slaughtering is done by slitting the throat with a perfectly sharp knife and cutting both the jugular vein and trachea at the same time. The attendants present must be a rabbi and a shohet, who is a person licensed and trained to perform this. Once the meat is slaughtered all of the blood, blood vessels, heleb, and sciatic nerve are removed. To remove the blood, the meat is soaked in water and salt within 72 hours to draw out the blood and water and then it is rinsed thoroughly.
What can I order at House of Hummus?
First, you choose your bowl. The options are hummus, falafel, chicken shawarma and moroccan beef tagine. Next, you choose your base. The options are couscous, brown rice, and basmati rice. Finally, you get to top it off with unlimited toppings. The toppings are Israeli salad, red cabbage, pickles, kalamata olives, onions, roasted eggplant, mushrooms, hard boiled egg, fava beans, chickpeas, parsley, sautéed peppers, hummus, tahini and schug.
Here is the delicious and filling falafel bowl I got at House of Hummus. The base is brown rice and it is topped with red cabbage, eggplant, olives, chickpeas, peppers, tahini, hummus and parsley.
Where can I find House of Hummus?
You can find House of Hummus on the Ground Level inside the Minnesota Marketplace in Coffman Memorial Union.
What else should I know?
Guess what? House of Hummus will be here all year. But, that doesn’t mean you should wait all year to try it. What are you waiting for? Stop by Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m to get your mediterarrean fix.
For more information and hours visit dining.umn.edu and thehouseofhummus.com.
Give them a follow on instagram @house_hummus.
whatshoeats 
Great post 🙂
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