What Is Toum?

Toum is a Lebanese garlic sauce made from just four ingredients: raw garlic, neutral oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt. That's it, no dairy, no eggs, no thickeners. What makes it remarkable is the technique: garlic and oil are whipped together slowly, the same way you'd build an emulsion for mayonnaise, until the mixture transforms from sharp raw garlic into something light, fluffy, and almost cloud-like. Lemon juice, squeezed fresh, cuts the intensity and keeps the whole thing bright instead of heavy.

Why Does It Take So Much Garlic to Make?

Because the emulsion is the entire point. Toum isn't garlic-flavored oil, it's garlic itself, transformed by air and technique into a spreadable sauce. Getting that fluffy, stable texture (instead of a sauce that breaks or separates) takes patience: garlic added gradually, oil drizzled in slowly, the mixture whipped continuously until it holds together. Rush it, and you get something oily and harsh instead of the light, punchy sauce toum is supposed to be. It's a five-minute story to tell and a much longer one to actually get right, batch after batch, every single day.

Where Does Toum Come From?

Toum's roots trace back to Lebanon, where it's a staple alongside grilled and roasted meats, the traditional partner to shawarma, chicken, and grilled skewers across Lebanese and wider Levantine kitchens. It's part of the same food culture our founders, Mardig and Mama Rosie, brought with them when they opened Garlic'n Lemons in Allston back in 2010, cooking with recipes and techniques passed down through their family rather than reinvented for a restaurant menu. We tell the fuller story of that journey, from those family kitchens to Harvard Avenue,  in this post.

Why Is Toum Garlic'n Lemons' Signature, Not Just a Side Sauce?

Because it's the ingredient our own customers pointed to first. When we dug into over a thousand reviews as part of a full digital audit of the business, one detail stood out: toum was mentioned by name again and again, more than any single dish. People weren't just ordering shawarma; they were ordering shawarma for the sauce. That's rare. Most restaurants build their identity around a protein or a format. Ours, according to the people who eat here most, is built around a garlic sauce made the same way it's been made in Lebanese kitchens for generations.

What Do You Put Toum On?

Traditionally: grilled and rotisserie meats, especially chicken. At Garlic'n Lemons, it's the finishing layer on our chicken shawarma wraps, a dip for fries, and a spread that regulars ask to add to nearly everything on the menu,  it's not unusual to hear someone order "extra toum" the way you'd hear "extra cheese" anywhere else. If you've never had it, the fastest way to understand toum is to try it on our shawarma first,  that's the pairing it was built for.

Is Toum Dairy-Free and Halal?

Yes to both. Toum has no dairy in it at all,  it's a garlic-and-oil emulsion, not a yogurt-based sauce like tzatziki, which makes it naturally suited to dairy-free and vegan diets. And because it's made in-house under the same Halal standards as the rest of our kitchen, it fits seamlessly into a fully Halal-certified meal. More on what that certification covers here.

Can I Get Toum Without Ordering a Full Meal?

Yes, it's available as an add-on or side with most orders, and it's a regular request on catering platters, where a bowl of it tends to disappear before anything else on the table. If you're planning an event, our catering team can build toum into the spread from the start.

Ready to taste what 49+ reviewers won't stop talking about? Order online at order.garliclemons.com and add extra toum, you'll understand within one bite.

FAQ (mark up with FAQPage schema)

Is toum the same as garlic mayonnaise (aioli)?

Not quite. Aioli traditionally includes egg to stabilize the emulsion; classic toum is egg-free, relying on the slow addition of oil to garlic to build its texture, which is part of why it's naturally vegan and dairy-free.

How strong is toum's garlic flavor?

Strong, in the best way, it's an intense, punchy garlic flavor balanced by fresh lemon juice, not a mellow garlic aioli. If you love garlic, it's built for you.

Is toum spicy?

No, toum has no heat. Its intensity comes from raw garlic, not chili or pepper, so it pairs well even with people who don't usually go for spicy food.

How long does toum last?

Made fresh and stored properly, toum holds well for about a week refrigerated, which is part of why we make it in-house frequently rather than in large batches meant to sit.