Identify this paste! [Toum]

At a local Lebanese deli, they serve the most delicious garlic-paste with their chicken shwarma (but is easily and readily applicable to just about EVERYTHING!). On my New Orleans forum, this question has come up, and no one has been able to arrive at an actual name for the stuff. It's not skordalia, but perhaps it's a Lebanese take on it. Does this sound familiar to anybody?

If it's what I think it is, it's probably toum. A somewhat creamy garlic spread. Lots of fresh garlic heat.

-ed

It sounds to me that the sauce in question is toom, which is indeed a Lebanese condiment used with roasted or grilled chicken. It's made from garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Sometimes egg yolks are added for body.

I don't see mention of toom Roden's book but I'm sure a web search will turn up some further discussion of this sauce.

Antonius

Danke, y'all. The mystery has been solved!

And here are two recipes:

http://www.lebaneseproducts.com/recipe/toum.htm

I found others that called for vegetable oil (not olive oil) and mayonnaise. Frightening. What oil would common in Lebanon, if not olive?

rien

Also widely used in Syrian cooking, again on grilled meats. The best I've had did involve egg whites that make it something between a meringue and mayo in consistency. Easy enough to whip up (ha) with a hand blender.

When I've been served shish taouk in Lebanese restaurants, it's usually served with a garlicky mayo-like sauce on the side. Is that what you're talking about, or is it more of a paste of garlic?

Hi,

With GWiv's assistance, I am able to provide the following:

Garlic Paste from Erik M.'s Basturma Party (circa May, 2003)

1 Quart peeled garlic, green root taken out.

Juice of 6 lemons.

Kosher salt to taste.

Olive Oil

Place garlic, lemon juice and salt in food processor.

Puree, add oil until paste becomes the consistancy of jared fresh
horseradish.

Taste for seasoning.

Garlic paste will bloom after a day or so, though this is strong as hell to
begin with.

&&&
A similar sauce to this is offered at Lebanese Taverna in Washington, D.C. with grilled chicken.

Once you have eaten garlic sauce of this intensity, you and your fellow diners are your own best company because nobody else will want to be near you.

Regards,

Cathy,
Lebanese Taverna in DC is one of my favorite restaurants in the universe! It's one of the places I try to get to every time I'm in the beltway.

That is where I've first eaten that sauce, and they serve one of the best meze anywhere.

Joel

Hi,

Maureen Abood's blog has a recipe for toum, which uses far less garlic than I did.

I'm going to make some just to see.

Regards,

Made toum by hand, microplane/whisk, vampires beware!



Toum, count me a fan!

Looks great Gary, very smooth! Did you use a recipe or just wing it? and how many cloves/heads of garlic did you use to make that amount?

Wonder how long it will save in the fridge?

Although the toum at the Lebanese Taverna (mentioned above) in D.C. is excellent, the best I've ever had is from a food truck in Hicksville Long Island . Yowzers!

Geo

http://www.hmhalal.com/

Bought less than delicious toum at Trader Joe's* a few months ago, a round of toum making kicked off today.

Geo wrote:Looks great Gary, very smooth! Did you use a recipe or just wing it? and how many cloves/heads of garlic did you use to make that amount?

I poked around the web, serious eats, mamaslebanesekitchen, epicurious, maureenabood and a few others then winged it.
A bit less than a head, aside from that not sure. I did cut in half and de-germ as that seems to be the consensus. When I settle on a recipe that works for me I will post.

Geo wrote:Wonder how long it will save in the fridge?

Doubt I'm going to find out.

*I rarely go to Trader Joe's, often find their take on things less than wonderful.

Hi,

What do you think of the toum at Pita Inn?

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:What do you think of the toum at Pita Inn?

I rarely eat at Pita Inn and don't remember having toum.

Pita Inn has a garlic sauce that can be ordered on the side. Same containers they use for the hot sauce, but you have to specifically order it and there is a separate charge.

There was a place on Dempster- east of the old Pita Inn location that had a very good Toum, but I cannot recall the name of it. The Boiler is now there I believe.