Toum — Mediated Wiki

{{short description|Garlic sauce common in the Levant}} {{about|the garlic sauce|the language|Toum language}} {{More citations needed|date=August 2021|details=No reliable sources}} {{Infobox food | name = Salsat toum | image = Toum.jpg | caption = A bowl of salsat toum with a pestle | alternate_name = | region = Middle East | course = | served = | main_ingredient = Garlic | variations = | calories = | other = }} '''Salsat toum''' (Arabic for {{gloss|garlic sauce}}), also known as '''toumiya''' ({{langx|ar|ثومية|link=no}}) or simply '''toum''' ({{lang|ar|ثوم}}{{spaces|2}}{{translit|ar|DIN|ṯūm}}<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=ثُوم |encyclopedia=WordReference |url=https://www.wordreference.com/aren/%D8%AB%D9%8F%D9%88%D9%85 |access-date=2025-07-16 |language=ar, en |trans-title=garlic}}</ref> {{gloss|garlic}}), is a garlic sauce common to the Levant. It is similar to the Provençal aioli. There are many variations; a common one contains garlic, salt, olive oil or vegetable oil, and lemon juice, traditionally crushed together using a wooden mortar and pestle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allrecipes.com/recipe/toum/|title=Toum|author=((Sahaj108))|work=Allrecipes.com|access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref> There is also a popular variation in Lebanon where mint is added;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/toum-lebanese-dipping-sauce-recipe-2355488|title=Toum Lebanese Dipping Sauce - Recipe|author=Saad Fayed|work=The Spruce Eats|access-date=1 March 2015|archive-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818120748/http://mideastfood.about.com/od/dipsandsauces/r/toum_recipe.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> it is called {{Transliteration|ar|zeit wa toum}} ({{gloss|oil and garlic}}).

Salsat toum is used as a dip, especially with french fries, chicken, and artichoke, and in Levantine sandwiches, especially those containing chicken. It is also commonly served with grilled chicken dishes, and can be served with almost any meat dish.

==Etymology==

Toum goes by many names in Arabic, including, in addition to the above: {{lang|ar|مثومة}} ({{translit|ar|DIN|muṯawama}})<ref name="alghad">{{cite news |title=مهيدات: فحص فوري للكشف عن استخدام البيض ومشتقاته في مثومة الشاورما - Alghad |url=https://alghad.com/Section-187/%D8%A2%D8%AE%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D9%85%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%81%D8%AD%D8%B5-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B4%D9%81-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B6-%D9%88%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7-1350398 |work=Alghad |date=11 June 2023 |language=ar-AR |trans-title=Instant test for detecting the use of eggs and egg-based products in muthawama shawarma dressing}}</ref> and {{lang|ar|ثومية}} ({{translit|ar|DIN|ṯūmiyya}}).<ref>{{cite news |title=تصيبك بـ 7 أمراض.. تعرف على أضرار تناول الثومية |url=https://www.elbalad.news/4112957 |access-date=17 July 2025 |work=Sada El-Balad |date=29 December 2019 |language=ar-eg}}</ref>

19th-century Orientalist Reinhart Dozy described {{transliteration|ar|muthawwamah}} ({{lang|ar|مثومة}}) as a "white sauce made from garlic and cheese" in his 1881 dictionary titled ''Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dozy |first1=Reinhart Pieter Anne |title=Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes |date=1881 |publisher=E.J.Brill |page=167 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Suppl%C3%A9ment_aux_dictionnaires_arabes/YpxOAQAAMAAJ?gbpv=1&pg=PA167&printsec=frontcover |access-date=22 December 2025 |language=fr |quote=une sorte de sauce blanche faite avec des aulx et du fromage |trans-quote=a kind of white sauce made with garlic and cheese}}</ref>

==Preparation== Toum is traditionally prepared with a mortar and pestle, but food processors are often used instead. In its most basic form, toum is made from 3 ingredients: fresh garlic, table salt, and a neutral oil.<ref name="PBS">{{cite web |title=Recipe: Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum) |url=https://www.pbssocal.org/food-discovery/food/recipe-lebanese-garlic-sauce-toum |website=PBS SoCal |access-date=17 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="bonAppetit">{{cite web |last1=Baraghani |first1=Andy |title=Toum Is The Extra Garlicky Yogurt Sauce I've Loved All My Life |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/story/toum-recipe |website=Bon Appétit |access-date=17 July 2025 |date=5 February 2018 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

To make toum, the garlic is ground until it turns into paste and oil is slowly streamed into the mix. The mixture is pulsed until it emulsifies, with lemon juice or other ingredients often added to help with the emulsion.<ref name="PBS" /><ref name="bonAppetit" />

Toum is traditionally vegan as it contains no eggs, but contemporary non-vegan varieties exist.<ref name="alghad" /><ref name="PBS" /><ref name="abood">{{cite web |last1=Abood |first1=Maureen |title=How To Make Toum, the Lebanese Garlic Sauce You’ll Want to Eat on Everything |url=https://www.thekitchn.com/toum-recipe-23116492 |website=Kitchn |access-date=17 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="hourdetroit"> {{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Christina |title=Food Focus: Where to Get Toum in Metro Detroit |url=https://www.hourdetroit.com/food-cuisine/food-focus-where-to-get-toum-in-metro-detroit/ |access-date=21 January 2026 |work=Hour Detroit Magazine |date=17 April 2025}} </ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Food}}

* Garlic sauces: ** {{annotated link|Aioli}} ** {{annotated link|Agliata}} ** {{annotated link|Mujdei}} ** {{annotated link|Skordalia}} * List of Middle Eastern dishes * List of dips * List of garlic dishes * List of sauces

==References== <references/>

==External links== * {{Cookbook inline|Toum}} * {{Commons category-inline}} * {{Wiktionary inline|toum}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toumya}} Category:Levantine cuisine Category:Garlic sauces Category:Sauces Category:Middle Eastern cuisine