It is typically used as a dip with bread[2] or fresh vegetables for an hors d'œuvre.

[4] The packaged variety that is found in markets is composed of parched wheat flour mixed with cumin and caraway.

The actual composition of the spice mix can vary from family to family,[8] vendor to vendor though there are common ingredients, such as sesame, coriander, cumin, salt and black pepper.

Reference to a 19th-century text[9] lists marjoram, mint, zaatar and chickpeas as further ingredients that can be used in the mixture.

In Australia, several companies began to make it in a variety of flavours, where its popularity may have been due to Lebanese and Arabic immigration as well as television cooking shows such as SBS Food Network.