Anne’s Toum Starts with Family
We’ve been making toum (pronounced ‘too-m’) for as long as I can remember. My mom, Anne, taught me how to make it when I was a little girl, and my grandmother (Teta) taught her. The tradition goes back many generations! But, our story, a love story, begins a little earlier.
Anne’s Toum started on a college tennis court in 1979, when Maroun Berberi (my dad) met Anne (my mom) for the first time. In between matches, Anne and Maroun fell in love. Years later, when they were married, my mom started to prepare the traditional Lebanese recipes that had been passed down through my dad’s family for generations.
When my parents started their own family, my mom used mealtimes as a chance to bring people together, a time to share stories and connect, and a place to enjoy delicious, nutritious food that had been prepared with a mother’s love.
After my mom’s unexpected death in 2019, I wanted to continue her life’s work. With dedicated admiration, I created Anne’s Toum to share the traditions of Lebanese cooking and to elevate family meals into celebrations – with a simple dip, dollop or spread of our beloved toum.
Yalla Habibi! Sahtein! (Let’s go love! Cheers!)
Katia
What is toum?
Passed down for generations and perfected over time, toum's versatility as a dip, spread, marinade, or ingredient has made it a staple in Lebanese cuisine. Toum’s popularity has grown over thousands of years and it’s now found and enjoyed across the Mediterranean and Middle East.