Labneh (also known as labne, labni, lebni), a strained yogurt, has a softly tart taste like Greek yogurt, but a cream-cheesy mouth feel. It can be soft and spreadable, firm and moldable, or hard and salted for longer storage. I savored labneh throughout the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean at various times of day without realizing that I was enjoying the same yogurt preparation in different guises.
Unfortunately, aside from a few ethnic communities, labneh is relatively unknown in the United States but its light, refreshing and tangy taste is well-known globally. Labneh is an ancient preparation. Essentially it is yogurt from which the whey has been pressed out. The firmness of labneh depends on how much whey is extracted. Food historians don’t know exactly when labneh was first created, but versions of strained yogurt were part of the culinary heritage of the Levant (a region comprising modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Israel), Turkey and Greece for centuries. Both Armenians and Turks claim to have introduced labneh throughout much of the Middle East.
Labneh’s popularity grew quickly and innovative cooks in the region developed special versions depending on available milk (which significantly affects its flavor). While cow’s milk yogurt is the most common ingredient and produces a mildly flavored labneh, goat, sheep, camel and water buffalo milk are also used, imparting a specific musky, sharp or acidic taste of the particular animal’s milk.
Labneh is used in both cooked and raw, savory and sweet dishes. Used fresh with a touch of salt after a short draining, it can be spread on lavash, pita or other breads or as a component in sandwiches. Labneh is also a popular meze dish. After longer draining, labneh firms up and can be formed into 1 inch balls, used plain or sometimes covered with herbs or spices such as parsley, sumac, dried mint, chili or a spicy mixture like za’atar*(a mixture of thyme, sesame seeds sumac and salt) and stored in olive oil. The quality of olive oil used with labneh also influences its taste.
Labneh’s versatility is an excellent substitute for highly caloric cream cheese or reduced-calorie Neufchatel or even sour cream or mascarpone. As a consequence, labneh is adapted by different cultures in savory and sweet versions.
It is often eaten at breakfast, or as a filling for pita sandwiches with olive oil, vegetables, thyme, or other spices. In Lebanon, labneh is eaten in the morning like hummus, and any traditional meze spread will always include at least one type of labneh. It makes a delicious dip for fresh pita or falafel balls; it is a nutritious breakfast when paired with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh za’atar, and it is often scooped with pita and layered with vegetables to form a quick and tasty lunch.
In Syria, it is eaten for breakfast with olive oil, cheese, olives and bread. In Israel, both soft spreadable and firm small balls of labneh in olive oil can be purchased. Labneh is commonly consumed by both Jewish and Arab Israelis, often with pita and za’atar, dried hyssop or dukkah**, an Egyptian nut and spice blend. Israeli-born London chef Yotam Ottolenghi suggests making labneh by draining a combination of sheep and cow milk yogurt until it is the consistency of whipped cream cheese, thick but spreadable, then topped with black olives, pistachios, fresh oregano, pine nuts and olive oil to scoop with bread for a delicious appetizer.
More expansively, Persians add cucumbers, onions, shallots, fresh herbs (dill, spearmint, parsley, cilantro), spinach, walnuts and garlic to labneh. And Bedouin, who travel long distances on camelback, produce a dry, hard labneh by pressing yogurt between two heavy stones and later sun drying it. This dry labneh is has a hard-cheese texture and is traditionally eaten with bread.
Creative cooks also incorporate labneh into ambrosial desserts, often with honey and walnuts or pistachios (Greek), with raspberries and raspberry coulis (French), with honey and pomegranate (Israel), with roasted figs with honey and almonds (Italian), with honey-baked nectarines with orange blossom water (Turkey) and even cheesecake (Lebanon). There are many other possible desserts from this winning combination: the slight saltiness of the labneh enhances the sweetness of the sweet flavorings and makes a luscious yet light dessert.
Labneh is smoother and tangier than cream cheese. Although it carries a similar calorie count (both labneh and regular Philadelphia cream cheese have approximately 80 calories per 2 tablespoons serving), labneh has several healthy benefits: it is probiotic (contains live and active cultures) and has none of the chemical stabilizers found in cream cheese. Furthermore, cow’s milk labneh is lower in fat, 0.04-5 /100g versus 34 g/100 g for regular cream cheese!
Labneh is surprisingly easy to make. All you need is yogurt, salt, cheesecloth, a piece of string and a colander.
Labneh
1 35.5 oz (1000g) whole milk Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon salt
Colander
Cheesecloth (or muslin or tightly woven tea towel)
Cotton string
Empty yogurt into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and mix with spatula to combine thoroughly.
Line a colander with double-thickness cheesecloth. Place colander over a large bowl so that the bottom of the colander is raised from the bowl bottom leaving several inches for whey drainage. Pour in the yogurt mixture into the cheesecloth. Gather cheesecloth up around the yogurt and tie into a pouch with string.
Hang pouch over the colander for a few hours to speed up the draining. Then place pouch in colander, cover with a plate and a heavy weight and refrigerate.
Move weight around every 6 hours or so in order to squeeze the maximum whey out of the yogurt. If you want to use the labneh as a spread, 12 hours of draining is ideal. If you want to form the labneh into balls, draining for 24 hours is better.
After the allotted time passes, remove bowl and colander from refrigerator. Untie pouch.
Labneh is ready to use as a spread or to mold.
If kept covered and refrigerated labneh can keep for up to 2 weeks; if formed into balls, packed into sterilized jars and covered with olive oil, it will keep for several months in the refrigerator.
Yield: 35.5 ounces (1000 g) of yogurt make about 17.75 ounces (500 grams) of labneh, but those quantities might vary depending on the yogurt used.
Herb and spice mixtures for labneh
Of course, labneh is delicious and can be eaten plain. To rev up the taste, you can use whatever combination of herbs and spices that you wish for spreadable or molded labneh. I used chopped parsley for one jar of molded labneh and equal parts of sumac, dried mint and chili flakes for the other. Other possible combinations include: za’atar; dried oregano, basil, mint and parsley; fresh bay leaves, thyme, and dried chives; ground pumpkin and pistachios; and, dukkah.
Sweet labneh suggestions are described in the text above. I recently served labneh with fresh raspberries and a raspberry coulis. I used Martha Stewart’s simple coulis recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/338850/raspberry-coulis
On another day I molded 3 tablespoons of labneh into a ball which I rolled in finely chopped pistachios, set it a pool of honey,sprinkled with ginger cookie crumbs and more pistachios. Both desserts were not only beautiful but also delectable.
I ran out of labneh before I could make a cheesecake, but it is next on my agenda and I’ll post my result.
* Zaa’tar can be easily made at home. There are many recipes on line. Here is the one that I use. http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/how-to-make-za-atar-spice-at-home
It can also be purchased on-line from Penzeys Spices and other outlets. https://www.penzeys.com/catalog/product.aspx?catalog=24&product=486
** Dukkah can also be easily made at home. Here is the recipe that I used, using half hazelnuts and half almonds. Pistachios can be used as well instead of the hazelnuts. http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/butter-bean-puree-with-dukkah-shop
Several types of dukkah can also be purchased on-line from Amazon.
One year ago:http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/jeweled-buckwheat-salad-everyone/
Two years ago:http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/firemens-chicken/