Garlic paste, widely popular in Lebanon as toum, is one of the key ingredients to a good shish tawook sandwich or grilled chicken or shawarma or almost anything. It's a love-hate relationship we all have with toum because it tastes so good but smells so bad.
Have you ever wondered the secret behind making this heavenly paste? Here are 6 facts you probably didn't know about toum:
1.The paste does not include mayo
Contrary to what you might think gives toum its texture, it doesn't contain mayo. It's just garlic cloves, oil, lemon juice & salt.
2. Vegetable oil is used instead of olive oil to keep it super white
3. In Spain, it’s referred to as aioli
4. Emulsification is the secret to making the sauce as creamy as it is
5. Was traditionally made using a mortar and pestle
Nowadays, a food processor does the job for you. Thanks technology!