What the heck is Toum and how do I use it?

Wow, am I late to this party. I have written two vegan cookbooks and still, for some reason, had never heard of toum.

This magical elixir is my new obsession. In the immortal words of Frank’s Hot Sauce, I put that sh*t on everything.

Okay, so first of all:

What is Toum?

Toum is a sauce made of garlic, and it’s Mediterranean in origin (more specifically, Lebanese). It looks and tastes a lot like mayo or aioli, but it’s completely vegan! It’s made of four ingredients: garlic, oil, salt and lemon juice, much like a mayo would be, but here, it’s the garlic that stabilizes the sauce instead of egg yolks.

Where to buy Toum?

Look for it at your local Persian market, though you can probably find it at your big box grocery store, as well. I got mine from the PlantX Market, by a local Vancouver brand called Habibis. Purchase here.

How to make Toum?

I have yet to try making it, but it doesn’t look that hard. Making my own is next!

How to use Toum?

• As a spread on sandwiches
• As a dip for veggies or falafel
• As a dip for french fries
• Brush it onto freshly baked bread/rolls/focaccia as they are coming out of the oven
• Dot some onto your pizza before it goes into the oven

I have also been adding it to recipes in the place of chopped garlic. So I now like to add it to:

• Salad dressings/vinaigrettes
• Pasta sauces (traditional, tomato based)
• Bechamel
• Hummus

It’s kind of a swiss army knife of sauces!

Here’s a super tasty vegan dipping sauce I made with it for all you honey-garlic fans out there:

@findbex Quick, easy, tasty lunch (all ingrediedients from @PlantX). #corndogs #airfryer #honeymustard #dip #vegan #plantbased #easyveganmeals #plantbaseddiet ♬ original sound – Rebecca Coleman, Food Blogger

Honey-Mustard-Garlic Dipping Sauce {Vegan}

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup toum
• 1 1/2 tbsp grainy mustard
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey or vegan honey (I like this stuff)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method:

Whisk everything together in a small bowl and enjoy!