7 of the world's fiercest food feuds

 
 Few issues spark more heated debates than the subject of food.

You don't need to be a bad chef to know that -- just read the comments on this list of the world's 50 most delicious foods, or food critic Jason Sheehan's thoughts on why people take their food so seriously.

But sometimes these arguments spread beyond the safety of an internet comments box.

In every continent in every era, countries have crossed swords over the origin of traditional dishes.

Feuds over food sovereignty have even devolved into diplomatic rifts.

Threats have been made.

Political alliances have been broken.

For proof that people were given mouths for only two main reasons -- to eat and to argue about what they just ate -- read on.

1. Lebanon and Israel: The hummus humdinger

"Why are you so anti-hummus? Isn't pita bread the real enemy?" Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen's ditzy designer character, once asked in a debate about the Palestinian Islamist political party Hamas.

Notwithstanding Bruno's hilarious ignorance, he did at least bring the politicized chick pea dish into the spotlight.

In 2008, the president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists launched a lawsuit against Israel for infringement of food copyright laws.

Lebanon's government also petitioned the European Union to classify hummus as a uniquely Lebanese food.

Lebanese have complained about the commercialization of this savory dip, known as "mezze" (appetizers in Lebanese), under the label "Israeli cuisine" in Western stores.

Perhaps it's less political and more financial -- sales of hummus are estimated at around US$1 billion a year.

Both countries took their legal disagreement to the kitchen.

Israelis first broke the record of the largest plate of hummus in January 2010 by putting together some 4,082 kilos of the stuff.

In response, about 300 Lebanese chefs set the Guinness World Record for the largest hummus plate in May 2010, with a humongous 10,450-kilo dish.

Israel then started selling postcards at tourist kiosks all over the country calling hummus "Israel's National Snack."

The truth is, there is no real winner.

Hummus has been traced to the time of Saladin, a 12th-century sultan, well before the establishment of the states of Israel and Lebanon.