It Wasn't Israeli-Produced

Was the hummus in Chicago bad?

SALMONELLA 126 sickened, 10 in hospital as officials try to trace Taste outbreak

July 13, 2007

A sesame seed paste called tahini, used to make the popular Middle Eastern dip hummus, may be at the center of a salmonella outbreak linked to the Taste of Chicago, the owner of the restaurant that served the hummus said Thursday.

Max Pars, owner of the Pars Cove restaurant at 435 W. Diversey, said health officials were zeroing in on tahini, which the restaurant purchased in late June. Pars bought the tahini from Ziyad Brothers Importing, a Cicero distributor whose products are in 48 states and six countries.

Nemer Ziyad, one of the company's owners, said they import tahini from several countries, including Guatemala, Turkey and Egypt. Ziyad said health officials had not contacted him, but he doubted there was a link between the tahini and the outbreak.