What Is Toum? Meet Lebanon's Garlic Sauce

What is toum, exactly?

Toum (say it “toom”) is the Arabic word for garlic, and the sauce is pretty much garlic and nothing to hide behind. Cooks crush or blend raw garlic with salt, then slowly stream in oil while adding lemon juice a little at a time. The garlic holds the oil together, so you end up with a thick, glossy, snow-white sauce.

Traditional toum has no eggs and no dairy. That surprises people, because it looks like aioli or mayo. The fluffiness comes from patience: add the oil too fast and the sauce breaks into a greasy puddle. Every Lebanese family has a story about a batch that split.

Where does toum come from?

Toum belongs to the Levant, and Lebanon is where it is most famous. It is the standard sauce at Lebanese shawarma shops and grill houses, served with chicken shawarma, shish tawook, rotisserie chicken and fries. You will find similar garlic sauces across Syria and the wider region.

In Lebanese homes, toum is not a special-occasion thing. It sits on the table next to the pickles and the bread, and it goes on whatever came off the grill. That is the spirit we bring to the counter: a plain, honest sauce that makes everything around it taste louder.

Some cooks add a little ice water to keep it light, and some use a splash more lemon for extra tang. The core never changes, though. Garlic, oil, lemon, salt, and a cook who does not rush.

What does toum taste like?

Strong. Raw garlic is the headline, with a sharp bite that softens into something creamy. Lemon keeps it bright and a little tangy, and salt pulls the whole thing together. The texture is light and whipped, almost like a garlic cloud.

A little goes a long way. If you are new to it, ask for a taste first at the counter. We let guests try anything before it goes in the bowl, and that includes every sauce on the line.

One more thing: toum is not a background sauce. If garlic is not your thing, tahini is the gentler, nuttier choice. If garlic is very much your thing, welcome. You are among friends.

How do you eat toum?

Toum is a sauce for things off the grill. The classic move is chicken: shawarma, tawook, roast chicken. It also works as a dip for fries and warm pita, a spread inside a wrap, or a spoonful next to roasted vegetables.

• Drizzle it over a chicken shawarma bowl with pickled turnips and pickles
• Spread it inside a chicken wrap or pita
• Dip fresh-cut fries straight into it
• Pair it with something tangy, like sumac onions, to cut the richness

How to try toum at AMBA in Joliet

Toum garlic sauce is one of the five drizzles you pick in step 5 of our build-your-own bowl. The others are tahini, tzatziki, harissa and amba mango sauce. Our sauces are made in house, and every bowl is built in front of you, so you can watch it go on.

Our pick for a first try: saffron turmeric rice, classic hummus, chicken shawarma carved off the spit, pickled turnips, pickles and sumac onions, then toum on top. Want both garlic and heat? Ask about the green zhug you will see on some of our bowls. You can also order online for pickup and skip the line.