The 13th-century recipe chickpea kisāʾ uses a word meaning “garment” in English.
The term appears in an early Syrian cookbook describing a dish resembling hummus. In Arabic, kisāʾ refers to a covering or garment, rather than to a feast, garden, or serving bowl. The name is therefore a linguistic clue, not a description of the dish’s ingredients.
This recipe included chickpeas, lemon, sesame, and olive oil, but apparently did not include garlic. That makes it an important predecessor to modern hummus, not an exact historical version of the dip commonly served today. The cookbook’s authorship is uncertain, although the text is associated with medieval Syria.
A common mix-up is assuming that the earliest recorded hummus-like recipe must match the modern formula. Historical versions varied considerably: some lacked garlic or tahini, while later recipes used different acids, herbs, spices, and nuts.