A bizarre theft puzzled the Israeli police on Tuesday when they were informed that 75 tons of chickpeas were stolen from a kibbutz in the center of Israel.
Chickpeas are the main ingredient of hummus, arguably the most popular spread in the Middle East.
The stolen goods are worth around 200,000 shekels, or $45,000. Members of Kibbutz Einat, in Israel’s Sharon coastal plain, were growing the chickpeas all year and began picking crops this week. They stored the goods in large containers, but during the night, masked men attacked the guard and stole the valuable chickpeas before the kibbutz could sell them.
A kibbutz member told the media there are thefts of agricultural tools all the time but it has never reached these dimensions. He said he believes the stolen goods will be sold in Israel and in the Palestinian territories.
What is baffling the police more than anything is what the thieves will do with so many chickpeas, as it will be difficult to hide such large amounts, and difficult to sell them inconspicuously.
Surveys have suggested that the average Israeli consumes eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) of hummus a year.