Strained yoghurt cheese from the Levant — yoghurt hung in cloth until thick enough to roll into balls or spread; drizzled with olive oil and dusted with zaatar or dried herbs, a cornerstone of the mezze table.
The simplest cheese
Labneh requires only two ingredients: yoghurt and salt. The salt is stirred into full-fat yoghurt; the mixture is poured into a cloth-lined sieve or muslin cloth, tied up, and hung over a bowl in the refrigerator for 12–48 hours. The longer it drains, the firmer it becomes. At 12 hours it is thick and spreadable; at 48 hours it can be rolled into balls.
Zaatar marriage
The combination of labneh, olive oil, and zaatar (the herb blend of thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, and salt) is among the most fundamental breakfast combinations in Levantine food. A plate of labneh piled with fresh zaatar and drenched in olive oil, scooped up with fresh pita, defines morning in Lebanon and Palestine.
Preserved labneh balls
Labneh firmened to ball consistency is often rolled in dried herbs (zaatar, dried thyme, crushed red pepper, or black sesame seeds) and preserved in olive oil in glass jars. These keep at room temperature for weeks and develop more complex flavour over time. The olive oil they’re preserved in becomes flavoured and is used for dipping.
Regional names
Known as labneh in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria; labna in Egypt; chakka or suzma in Central Asia; chakka in Pakistan and India. The technique of straining yoghurt into a cheese exists across the entire dairy-farming world under different names.
Find more foods by letter
Labneh starts with L and ends with H. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Labneh":