Culture Club
Labneh
Recently a friend I phoned surprised me by saying nonchalantly, oh, she was “just making some labneh…”. Impressed by this comment I enquired further. A local cheese-loving girl had shown my friend how to make these delicious balls of drained yoghurt, and because she made it all look so easy (which in fact it is), said friend has whipped up numerous batches since.
Enjoyed in a salad, for breakfast, or as a snack, these tasty health balls can be clothed in all sorts of flavour enhancers—finely chopped fresh herbs, spices, sumac, sesame, garlic—or they can be served as a dessert with fresh fruit or berries. A drizzle of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon will take you straight to the Med for breakfast—or dinner, if labneh is served with some caramelised red onions, tabbouleh, vegetables and bread. You then have part of a traditional Lebanese meal called a mezza.
This word mezza (or what we call mezze) comes from al-lumazza, meaning “that which is savoured”, and is a selection of numerous small dishes that in themselves make up a meal. There might be stuffed grape leaves, an artichoke dip, a bean and garlic dip, fresh herbs and a bunch of dressed rocket leaves, hummus, prepared crisp vegetables, labneh balls, cured ham, and, of course, bread. Lebanese bread is as revered as yoghurt. Bread so stale as to be inedible is kissed before being disposed of. Flat bread, pita bread, grilled and rubbed with garlic bread, folded pieces of bread—all are used as spoons to eat the food directly from the serving dishes.
The main ingredient in labneh is yoghurt. I can’t get over the yoghurt section at the supermarket; much of it is, in fact, custard posing as yoghurt, so it’s best to read the small print on the pack. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I bought yoghurt in a cream bottle (glass, not plastic) and it was the true curd separated from the whey kind-of-stuff that made you feel healthy just by having it in your trolley. It was sour and could have come straight from a hut in the Swiss Alps. By eating this regularly you would soon be fit enough to climb those mountains just to visit Heidi and Grandfather, both of whom are probably still alive and well.
Its contribution to longevity is one of yoghurt’s biggest claims to fame, and was the theory behind the life expectancy of Bulgarians (who happened to eat a lot of yoghurt). Despite their already healthy lifestyle, balanced diet and genetic luck, all credit was given to yoghurt. Its origins lie in the Muslim Mediterranean, especially Turkey, Lebanon and Syria, perhaps as far back as far as 10,000BC say some, though others claim that’s unlikely as the domestication of animals didn’t start until some 4000 years later.
The words laban (curdled milk), labneh (drained curdled milk) and Lebanon all come from the ancient Semitic root “lbn”, meaning “white”.
Labneh
1kg Greek yoghurt
1½ teaspoons of sea salt
Pour the yoghurt into a bowl and add the salt. Mix well. Line a colander or sieve with muslin and spoon the yoghurt into the centre. Draw up the corners of the cloth and tie together. Suspend the sieve over a bowl and place in the fridge overnight. Check to see the consistency. The longer you allow it to drain, the thicker it will become. If you want to roll the labneh into balls you may have to drain it for up to 48 hours.
If serving as a mezze straight away, then look for the consistency of mayonnaise. Empty the contents of the muslin into a bowl and beat slightly. Taste for seasoning. If you like garlic then now is the time to add some, freshly crushed. The classical way to serve the labneh is to spread it into a round dish and, using a spoon, create a dip in the centre. Into this pour olive oil (your very best), sprinkle with ground pepper and serve it with toasted pita bread, slices of cucumber and tomato, a bowl of olives and fresh herbs.
If you want to make Labneh Bilzayt (labneh in oil), which can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks, this too is easy and impressive.
Take walnut-sized pieces of labneh and roll in the palm of your hand. Place these into a jar, adding your best olive oil as you go. Flavours like rosemary, lemon peel, cloves of garlic, or a dried chilli or two can all be added to the jar. Continue with the layering, ensuring that the oil is above the balls, and remains above the balls once you begin to consume them.
Anyone on a dairy-free diet can even Google up a recipe for “Homemade vegan cashew soya yoghurt labneh”. Mmmm.
Fiona Feasey
