Review: Tribe Ranch Hummus & Ranch, As a Flavor – Yay or Nay?
Today’s junk food: Tribe Ranch Hummus!!
Tribe Ranch Hummus: The Money Shot
I’ve reviewed Tribe Hummus varieties before, so it’s no surprise that Tribe would want me to hit up their new Tribe Ranch Hummus. I love hummus. You give me a tub of hummus and a gigantic bag of Stacy’s Pita Chips? I can eat that for hours. HOURS.
And I love ranch, despite the perception of ranch changing over the years (at least in my world). As a Kid, I loved it – it was a general savory flavor I could get behind; the first salad dressing I really liked. However, as I got older, I found people dismissed ranch as too basic, something that someone with no palate would enjoy. And I myself stepped away from ranch dressing – I stopped buying it for salads, I rarely bought Cool Ranch Doritos, and I started to dip my wings into blue cheese instead.
Once I got out of college and out of dining halls in general, I have admit, I STOPPED seeing ranch. Besides seeing it pop up in junk food, I never saw ranch seasoning anywhere else. Not in restaurants, not in recipe, NADA. I saw a Hidden Valley Ranch commercial the other day, and was shocked there was an ad budget for it.
However, I wondered if it was regional bias? Maybe in some parts of the country, RANCH IS STILL GOING STRONG. But not here in DC – I haven’t seen full-on ranch flavoring ANYWHERE. The local grocery I go to doesn’t even carry regular ranch; there is only Lite Ranch and packets of HV Ranch seasoning to make your own goddamn ranch dressing.
I asked two friends of their opinions on ranch, and got two COMPLETELY different answers. One friend loves ranch so much, he spreads it on toast for his tuna fish sandwiches (semi-gag). The other friend told me to take my garbage question about my garbage seasoning stuff it into my garbage mouth. Hoooo-kkaaaay.
So what gives? And where do you stand on ranch flavoring/seasoning/etc., JFG Nation? Yay or Nay? Let me know in the comments below. Back to the hummus.
When I opened this tub of Tribe Ranch Hummus, I have to admit – it didn’t smell particularly ranch-y. It smelled tangy and tahini-ish – like hummus! Ranch doesn’t really have a visual representation, so I thought that it was interesting that Tribe decided to sprinkle the surface with parsley to punch up the visual. I dig it.
Eating the hummus by itself, it was not a surprising flavor – it tasted like good ol fashioned hummus that had a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mixed in. And it was GOOD! The ranch did not overwhelm; the flavor of the hummus, tahini, tang was all still there. It was more that the backend had that familiar ranch flavor to end the taste rather than just the citrus-y note that hummus usually has.
I wanted to see if this Tribe Ranch Hummus could save my opinion of the Mediterranean Olive Triscuits I reviewed last week, and they totally did. The hummus muted the initial weird flavor of the cracker, and the olive saltiness of the Triscuits paired really well with the ranch hummus. Nice save, Tribe.
All in all, this Tribe Ranch Hummus wasn’t anything unpredictable – just a solid hummus, good flavor, good execution. If you’re a hummus fan, like me, you probably trend more to the garlic, sun dried tomato, or spicy varieties. However, if you like ranch – this combo satisfies.
PURCHASED AT: Sent to me
COST: Suggested retail price $3.49
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Sincerely,
Junk Food Guy
Discuss - 10 Comments
I like ranch and recognize that you can create that ranch flavor naturally with herbs and whatnot, but I prefer ranch flavor with my trash snacks and not my relatively wholesome hummus.
Very yay on ranch. Ranch has always been a part of my life. I’m on Team Mayo, Team Tartar Sauce, Ranch, Thousand Island, Frisco Sauce, etc etc. I absolutely despise ketchup, tho. Lousy red bloody rag garbage.
I love ranch in all its forms. I don’t dip my wings but I prefer it to blue cheese on anything buffalo chicken. I dip my carrots. As a mayo hater I use it in my tuna salads and deviled eggs. Maybe not in a sweet pairing but I love it!
Big fan of ranch. I was late to the party though, i was a 1000 island kid and didn’t get into ranch until my early 20’s. Nowadays, i really like the spicy ranches, like the southwest ranch from at buffalo wild wings our the Baja sauce at long John’s. Hummus is very hot and miss for new, it really depends on the added flavors, and ranch sounds good to me.
While researching an online source of salmiakki (black licorice with ammonium chloride) recently, I discovered they have ranch potato chips in Finland. They don’t just have them; they brought them back after they were discontinued and people made a fuss.
Ranch-flavored stuff. In *Finland*. Mind blown.
I mean, I like ranch as a salad dressing or chip/veggie dip (though I prefer other dips) and I use ranch seasonings in a buffalo chicken-stuffed pepper thing I make (I dip actual wings in blue cheese, though, because ranch and wings is an abomination), but I don’t go nuts over it. I should probably include the caveat that I generally make my own ranch dressing from dried spices or dip with Greek yogurt; a lot of the prepackaged ones are way too sweet for my palate. My Southern friends dip just about everything including pizza into it, which grosses me the hell out.
I like ranch. I remember hearing about a ranch restaurant and thinking it was a good idea, so yeah. Ranch hummus sounds weird, but your review makes me want to give it a chance. I just wish tabouleh was as easy to get as hummus, since that’s what I like hummus with.
Ranch seems to be a 90s thing. In ‘my’ day, one ALWAYS had wings with blue cheese, then all of a sudden, they started to serve ranch as the side. For some reason, I despise ranch and usually avoid any snack/side/topping that contains it.
I LOVE home-made Ranch dressing; far superior to the Hidden Valley Ranch in a bottle somehow, even though the same company makes it (the seasoning packet it which you add your mayo/sour cream). If I find out a place makes their own Ranch dressing, I’ll usually get it…the local BBQ joint makes their own and it is delish.
That being said, yes, blue cheese dressing is fab also and the desired dipping sauce for wings. Love it on a salad also.
Still haven’t developed a taste for hummus, I have tried several types and homemade and just don’t like it. Though I don’t really like chick peas….with the exception being in a falafel
Cool American is fine. Some places have good versions some places are somehow terrible.