An influential Israeli rabbi has ruled that a key ingredient in hummus is not kosher when prepared by non-Jews. The ruling is a shock because hummus, a spread made of mashed chick peas and sesame paste (tahini), is considered the national food. Hummus is a big business, so restaurants and food companies are checking their processing sources to make sure the sesame paste is not made by Arabs or other non-Jews. But since most Israelis are secular, they're going to continue eating hummus, kosher or not!