Toum

Toum is the Lebanese garlic cream — a four-ingredient emulsion of garlic, salt, lemon juice, and neutral oil that produces a thick, pure white, intensely flavoured sauce with a texture closer to whipped cream than mayonnaise. It is the definitive garlic condiment of the Levant, served with shawarma, grilled chicken, falafel, and vegetables throughout Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian territories. The preparation requires no egg yolk — the emulsification is achieved entirely through the natural lecithin in garlic, which when processed at high speed and temperature allows a very high ratio of oil to garlic to be emulsified into a stable, fluffy foam. This is the magic of toum: it contains far more oil than mayonnaise relative to its emulsifier, yet produces something extraordinarily light and airy. The technique: raw garlic is processed with salt until completely smooth, then lemon juice and oil are added alternately in a thin stream with the processor running. The alternating acid and oil build the emulsion progressively — too much oil too fast breaks it, but the alternation with lemon juice stabilises each addition. The final sauce should be completely white, stiff enough to hold peaks, and intensely garlicky. Toum is not a dipping sauce — it is an essential part of the dish it accompanies. A platter of grilled chicken without toum is incomplete. A shawarma wrap without toum is unfinished.