Toum is a traditional Lebanese garlic sauce that can be eaten alone or as an accompaniment to any dish. It is made from garlic, salt, oil, and lemon juice and is best served at room temperature. Toum is often spread on bread and is part of the mezze platter, a popular way of eating in Lebanon.
Toum is a traditional creamy garlic sauce from Lebanon. It can be eaten alone on bread or focaccia or as an accompaniment to almost any dish. While toum is simple in its ingredients, it takes some time and skill to make, as it is an emulsion.
Traditionally, toum was made using a mortar and pestle, but nowadays a food processor or handheld blender is often used. It is made from four basic ingredients: garlic, salt, oil and lemon juice. Fresh garlic cloves are first peeled and sometimes blanched in milk, if a slightly less spicy final product is required. The garlic and salt are then mashed together into a paste.
The oil and lemon juice are added to the pasta usually in small amounts, alternating the oil with the lemon juice until everything has been added. This is done slowly to prevent the mixture from cracking and the ingredients are then mixed thoroughly. The final product should be light and creamy and can be refrigerated for weeks. Toum is best served at room temperature.
A delicious and popular way to eat toum is simply spread on bread. This is often served as an appetizer before the main meal or as a snack while waiting for dinner. Lebanese cuisine includes various types of bread, from flatbreads or pitas to Manakeesh, a pizza-like bread topped with herbs like Zaathar, a blend of oregano, thyme, basil, and salt. Toum can be spread on the surface of bread or added as an accompaniment to meat or vegetable fillings.
Lebanese cuisine includes numerous dips or spreads, including toum. Fresh ingredients such as garlic, olive oil and lemon juice are used liberally. Other popular dives include Hummus, Tahini and Baba Ghanoush. Hummus is made from chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and tahini, while tahini is a sesame seed paste, which is often mixed with garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Baba Ghanoush is made from eggplant, lemon, garlic, tahini and spices like paprika and cumin.
The mezze platter is a popular way of eating in Mediterranean countries, including Lebanon. The dish consists of many small dishes, served with bread. They usually include both cold and hot dishes and incorporate meats such as kebabs, most commonly and vegetables. Mostly the meal is eaten with the hands. Lebanese culture views mealtimes as a social time, making sharing a mezze platter ideal.
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