FOOD NEWS
Lebanese Toum Is The Garlic Sauce You Need To Know
BY NIKITA EPHANOV
Toum is a simple Lebanese sauce made of only five ingredients, but it packs a punch with a potent and delicious garlic flavor and a creamy texture.
This sauce is an emulsion made of lemon juice, olive oil, water, salt, and garlic. However, it's deceptively difficult to make and can break if not mixed properly.
Despite its short list of ingredients, toum has a layered flavor profile, by turns tangy, savory, earthy, and of course garlicky, making it a versatile topping for many dishes.
The sauce gets its name from the Arabic for garlic, and has been made in Lebanon for centuries. Other variations also exist in the region, from minty toum to Egyptian tooma.
Similar to mayo or garlic aioli, toum is an emulsion, but it uses only garlic as a binder rather than adding eggs, making it a vegan-friendly aioli alternative.
To make toum, peel fresh garlic and remove any stems or brown spots. Traditionally, the garlic is pounded in a mortar and pestle, but you can use a food processor.
Lemon juice is added, and water and olive oil are slowly mixed into the bowl in alternate intervals until the mixture turns into a thick, creamy paste. Finish it off with salt.
Toum keeps in the fridge for about a month, and makes an excellent addition to grilled meats, salad, pita, pizza, burgers, or any dish that would benefit from a garlicky topping.