• March 2, 2007

Not quite yet, but sales are booming.

Harry Balzer, executive vice president of NPD Group, says the number of people who enjoy hummus--a creamy puree of chickpeas, sesame seed butter and garlic--at least once in two weeks has nearly tripled since 2001.

Granted, they are just 0.8% of adults--but that number was 0.3% five years ago. That compares with 11% who eat cottage cheese regularly and 13% who eat salsa. Hummus has a ways to go, but Balzer says that "clearly, it's a growing product." The consumer of hummus, salsa and cottage cheese skews toward adults, female adults and female adults on a diet.

A decade ago, few Americans had sampled hummus; sales were about $5 million a year. Today, it's a $143 million business. At least one hummus manufacturer, Tribe Mediterranean, expects the industry to reach $250 million over the next four years. AC Nielsen reports that sales increased 25% in 2006.

Hummus consumption is highest in the Northeast--which accounted for more than a third of sales last year, according to IRI. But the South is catching up, with about $47 million in sales and a 36% growth in 2006.