The first time I had ever heard of toum—the crazy good, strong garlic sauce that is a ubiquitous Middle Eastern condiment for kebabs and other barbecued meats—was just a few years ago. I had recently met my friend Janet, a powerhouse food writer whose husband is Lebanese, and she asked me, don’t you just love toum?
We were both surprised that not only had I never made this version of garlic aoli before, I had never tasted it, either. Turns out I was missing out on the kind of garlicky flavor that gives BAM! a whole new meaning.
There is not a lot of garlic in the Lebanese cuisine I grew up with, which may be the result of the regions from which my parents hail, but it could also have to do with the fact that my mother really does not care for garlic. For her, garlic is like an annoyance that just won’t go away, the mosquito bite of foods. When she heard I’d be making toum with you, she did not pretend to think that was a good idea. It’s as though she thought the windows of my blog would be wide open and through those windows the scent of garlic would bother everyone as much as it bothers her. She did point out that it’s not just her taste that has kept toum off our table—it’s never been on any table in either her or my father’s families, and it is not in her favorite old country cookbook, either. So there.
On my third attempt at toum recipes in one day, I commented to her on how the scent of the garlic was very much with us. With us? I smell it and I taste it, she shouted from the other room.
But why three attempts for the toum, you might wonder, and rightly so. My admission of that is not to scare you off from making toum, but simply to say that after trying a few different methods, I think the one I’ve landed on is going to be successful for all of us. Toum is essentially a type of mayonnaise, an aoli, both of which are emulsions of egg, oil, and lemon juice. Except toum, which means garlic in Arabic, contains no eggs; it is an emulsion of lots of garlic, lemon juice and a neutral oil. Some recipes do call for a raw egg white to be included in the toum, but none of my Lebanese cookbooks do; still I’ve tried it and I don’t think it’s necessary. The toum on my cousin May’s table in Lebanon was made by starting with cornstarch and boiling water. Something must have been lost in translation because for me it wielded cornstarch/garlic/oil liquid, which shouldn’t have been a surprise given that oil and water don’t mix.
Emulsions can be a tricky thing; we spent plenty of time on them in culinary school and discovered that practice makes perfect. I had a few rounds of unsuccessful toum during that time and decided I’d leave perfecting it to another day—like today. Given that garlic is the basis of the sauce, into which the oil is emulsified, it takes a significant amount of garlic to create enough of a foundation for the oil to work its magic. So don’t be shocked by the full cup of garlic cloves used in the recipe, or the four cups of neutral-flavored oil that are blended into them…it can be more than challenging to make a smaller amount of toum, and since toum lasts for weeks in your refrigerator, a larger quantity is not a bad thing (think the best garlic toast you’ve ever tasted, under the broiler). Unless you’re a member of the no-garlic-on-my-table club. In which case you’re still going to love a smokey, char-grilled plateful of barbecued laham mishweh—lamb kebabs, coming up tomorrow—just like I always have, even without the extra BAM.
Garlic Sauce, or Toum
Fluffy toum sauce is delicious with any type of barbecued meat, particularly chicken, beef, or lamb, and grilled vegetables. Try it spread on thick slices of crusty bread and broiled for some of the finest garlic toast around. Check this toum demo out by the talented Lebanese Chef Kamal. My recipe is an adaptation of his. Be sure to use a food processor, spatula, and measuring cup that are completely dry—water can cause the emulsion to break. Choose garlic that is firm and fresh.
1 cup very fresh garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup lemon juice
4 cups neutral oil (like canola or grapeseed)
Cut the garlic cloves in half lengthwise and remove the green center sprout. Even if the sprout is barely there or mostly white, remove it, as it causes a bitter flavor.
Place the garlic and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until it is finely minced, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl between pulses.
In a very thin, slow stream, pour about ½ cup of oil into the running processor with the garlic. Then add slowly add two teaspoons of lemon juice while the processor is running. Turn off the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue in this manner, alternating oil and lemon juice in slow, steady streams and stopping occasionally to scrape down the bowl. The mixture will turn fluffy and white.
Scrape into a bowl or container with an airtight lid, but don’t put the lid on yet. Cover the toum with a paper towel and refrigerate for about 12 hours, chilling the sauce completely and removing some of the moisture which would cause the toum to separate if covered immediately with the airtight lid. Then cover with the airtight lid and refrigerate for up to one month.
If your toum tastes ‘hot’ from the garlic, let it rest for a few days in the refrigerator, which will soften the flavor. Makes 4 cups of toum.
Find a PDF of this recipe here.
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Anything that combines ‘serious’ and ‘garlic’ in it’s title is a must-make in my book.
I know we did grow up with this either, but the first time i had it was in St. Paul MN, and to honest i can take it or do without it. I like laham mishwe without it. but i do like garlic.
I mentioned before that a Lebanese restaurant owner in Wisconsin made hummus for us once and he started by filling the food processor bowl (typical large processor) with garlic, liquifying it and then adding some chic peas and taheni. It was so strong with garlic that it actually burned your mouth a bit, like with a mild pepper, didn’t know garlic would do that. He also made a more mild batch, but it too was a bit much! So march forward with courage, how bad can a cup of garlic be?
I can’t believe you just published what I have been wanting for years! Thank you dear Maureen! I LOVE RWOB!!!
My Dad loved fresh garlic in his salata (sp?) and my Mom always made him go outside on the back porch to peel it and smash it with a mortar and pestle. About 20 years ago, Gilroy CA (the center of the garlic universe) held a Garlic Festival to which we went a few years in a row–such a novelty for a festival–and garlic became overdone–when I tasted Garlic Ice Cream, I turned back–now I don’t even put it in hummus.
Huh… I’ve never had Toum. Can’t wait to ask my dad is his parents or grandparents ever made it — and I can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks so much!
Ahlla, Mareen,
love your writting and your Toum recipe. My Mum is a great cook and she has a wonderful twist on making Toum. This involves freezing the whole garlic bulb for at least two days or more. When ready to make Toum quickly peel each clove , leave the centre sprout in and just follow your recipe. Freezing takes the hotness out the garlic and also helps those that have problems with garlic repeating on them. Do not let the garlic defrost for longer than 20mins. Please let me know if anyone is sucessful with this method. Have fun.
Can’t wait to try this,thank you!
As a fan of Aioli, my quick go-to condiment, I’m naturally drawn to this. For those that are put off by the “heat” of the freshly chopped garlic, why not try substituting part (or all) of it for roasted garlic to bring out some of the sweet/nutty character? I do this with Aioli all the time. Looking forward to the kebabs…
Just made my first batch, and it is heavenly. I spread it on a halved hard-boiled egg, and seriously almost wept with taste bud happiness. I can imagine using this on salad and hot vegetables — or, ya know, just on a spoon.
Maureen, Jim made this gorgeous item the day after your post, and we have been delighting in it ever since. We’ve used it as a condiment for roast chicken and grilled fish, dipped steamed green beans and potato chips (!) in it, tossed it with warm red potatoes for a salad and, just now, with pasta, julienned basil and pine nuts for a deconstructed pesto. Nell spent the morning scouring the fridge for “things I can put the garlic sauce on.” In other words, we are addicted!!
Oh… and Jim is convinced it’s what cured his knee problems!
Garlic is a wonder….and I tried the toum on pasta tonight with your deconstructed pesto: brilliant! I’m so glad you made it and love the toum too Sheila.
I made this last week with fresh, hard garlic bought from a farmer’s market….to die for. I’m so glad I was able to make this instead of waiting until the next time we go to Detroit. Thank you!
I had Toum for the first time about 25 years ago in a Lebanese restaurant in St. Paul, MN. I would also purchase small containers of Toum from a small Mexican-Lebanese grocery store several miles from the restaurant. I got hooked and turned into a Toum junkie. Unfortunately, my wife was in the early stages of her first pregnancy and she couldn’t stand to be within 25 feet of me after I had been eating the stuff or she’d experience severe morning sickness regardless of the time of day. We eventually moved too far away to get back to either establishment on a regular basis, which probably saved our marriage and allowed for additional children. I’ve found recipes for Toum previously and I succeeded in making it once or twice in a blender. More recent attempts to make it, however, have been dismal failures. I had Toum again in November at a South Bend, Indiana restaurant following a Notre Dame football game. It was as good as I remembered it and it rekindled my determination to make it at home. I tried my old method again with the same disappointing results. I found your recipe on this site and gave it a whirl. Wonderful! I think you touched upon a very important factor in your blog for those struggling with making Toum: Size matters. In my failed efforts I had tried to make proportionately smaller batches and ended up with lumpy, separated liquid. Larger amounts made in a food processor is the key to success. I, along with my menopausal wife and grown children, thank you!
That was fantastic Tommy, thank you! And P.S., we are both fans of the Fighting Irish–
Maureen, just made Toom for the first time. I used the 4 cups of canola oil and seem to be getting a little too much of the oil taste. At the Mediterranean restaurant that I go to it is not quite so mayo like (not quite so smooth). Any suggestions?
Thanks, Debbie
Hi Debbie–my toum recipe makes a very smooth toom, but it should taste primarily of garlic (tamed garlic after a few days’ rest in the refrigerator); if you want it grainier/chunkier, perhaps increase the garlic.
I just made this last weekend, looooooved it!, Will make it again and again, super easy too!
How strict do you have to be with letting it sit for 12 hours? I have to leave for work an hour before the time is up, and I don’t trust my boyfriend to wake up and take care of it for me.
This is really just to tame the burn that can happen with so much fresh garlic, which will happen over time with the toum stored in the fridge.
OMG! Thanks so much for this! I’ve been trying to make this for years but always failed. I tried to make smaller batches and other people said to add a raw egg white but I’m allergic to egg so I couldn’t!
The trick to this IS the quantity – heaps of garlic! Seriously tastes AMAZING! I just need a lot of patience to pour the four cups of oil in slowly.
I won’t be getting a cold this winter!
Thanks again! xx
Tastes great but mine didn’t fluff – it’s so liquid-y.. Any suggestions?
Hello–it sounds like the mixture didn’t emulsify. You could try adding more garlic and then add more oil very slowly.
It looks like I may be a little late to this party, but I’ll share my story anyhow… I only rarely cook as will probably be evident by my post… There is a restaurant called Mediterranean Pizza close to my house that has a white garlic sauce that is to die for. I dip my bread sticks in it, the crust of my pizza, and sometimes my pizza itself for a little extra goodness. I always get lots of extra garlic sauce from the pizza restaurant. So this weekend, I went to Google and searched high and low looking for recipes that may be at least similar to what the restaurant uses. I came to the realization that “toum” is probably the mystery sauce that I have come to love. I started my journey in the blender, chopping/mixing the garlic with the salt. My blender couldn’t quite get all of the garlic minced, so I added the first 1/2 cup of oil to aid. That worked and it was soon looking quite nice minced/pureed. So I added the first dose of lemon juice and it started to thicken just a bit as was expected. However, my blender (it’s cheap) wasn’t up for the task of mixing the emulsification that was forming. 25% of the way into adding the oil/juice, I came to the realization that my blender could no longer mix the emulsification – blender wouldn’t churn the mixture any longer. I don’t have a food processor, so a mixing bowl was my only choice. I was in the middle of adding a dose of oil when I transferred to the bowl, and very quickly realized that I was doomed. There was a mix of a globby garlic puree moving about in the oil – fail. I wasn’t quite ready to give up though, and decided to add the dose of lemon juice. I started stirring the mixture again and a magic trick happened before my eyes – it started to emulsify! I ended up mixing in 1/4 cup oil with 1 tsp juice at a time to make sure I didn’t lose the emulsion. Things were going so well hand mixing that when 50% of the oil/juice was mixed, I decided to try just a small dab of it. WOW! I didn’t realize garlic could be “hot” like that. I was able to keep the emulsion all the way to the end while mixing by hand with a wooden spoon, which surprised the heck out of me. Right now it is just a touch “hot” from the garlic. I can’t wait to see how it tastes as the garlic mellows out just a touch, but right now it seems as though it will be quite good.
My mom’s cousin owned that Mexican Lebanese Grocery that Tommy B. mentioned. The store has been closed for years now. We all learned to make the Garlic Sauce, what we always called it, in a blender but it was iffy to turn out thick. My cousin shared her techniques with us and it almost always works out. I posted our version of the recipe on allrecipes.com called Thick Style Lebanese Garlic Sauce but that site has no problem changing your recipe so it was not accurate and people gave it bad reviews. It wasn’t until I emailed them and told them I would never post another recipe on their site because they ruined the recipe by changing it that they edited it and now it has gotten many good reviews. I usually use all vegetable or canola oil, they left in the part about using part Olive Oil, they originally had to use Extra virgin, that really ruined the recipe.
Patti in St. Paul MN