Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)

Let’s talk about Toum.

I first discovered Toum through my favorite source….. FoodTok (TikTok). It was one of those things that I couldn’t believe I had never stumbled upon as I cook with garlic, oils, and lemons almost every single day. It’s my favorite combination.

I could sum this recipe up by saying these two things:

1. Now that I’ve finally figured out how to make Toum, I literally put it on everything > Mediterranean Planked Salmon, Pizza as a ‘White Sauce’, Chicken, Lamb, a dip for lemon potatoes, etc.

2. It is a labor of love and took several times before I perfected how to make it.

What is it? Where does it come from?

Toum is a traditional Lebanese Sauce made from very simple, everyday ingredients most people store in their pantry. Toum is essentially mayo, but it’s stabilized with garlic instead of egg. It goes through a slow emulsifying process to become this bold, creamy sauce that you can add to… well, really anything.

Fun fact: One egg is capable of emulsifying one gallon of oil, resulting in a stiff and spreadable sauce. The garlic in Toum, can do just the same.

DON’T MAKE MY MISTAKES:

Many people make Toum with an immersion blender. My first two times trying to make Toum, I used my Vitamix Blender… it did not work. I don’t have an immersion blender, so I then opted for my Food Processor. Both times using the food processor, the Toum emulsified properly but with time. I highly recommend using a Food Processor when making this recipe.

Pouring the oil in slowlllllyyyy is the next secret. I’m talking pouring in 3 cups of oil over a time period of 10 or 15 minutes, interchanging pours with the ¼ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice. If you don’t pour the oil in at a thin and slow stream, the oil will break from the garlic leaving a pool of oil on top of the garlic.

If the Toum is too bold, you can whisk in more lemon juice once emulsified or soak the garlic cloves in ice water for 30-minutes before adding to your food processor.

Shortcuts:

Many recipes say to cut the green sprout out of the middle of the garlic because they can make the Toum bitter. While I encourage you to try this, I do not have the patience to cut the green sprout out of 32 cloves of garlic.

Many recipes say use fresh garlic. I 100% that fresh peeled garlic would make the Toum better, but again as a shortcut, all times that I’ve made the Toum, I buy the full cloves of garlic that has already been peeled in the produce section of your grocery store. 1 cup of garlic will be about 30 full cloves.

Once you make your Toum, store in an air-tight container because this will last in your refrigerator for up to 3-months.

---