Labneh (also spelled Labaneh) is a white Middle Eastern yogurt cheese made from sheep, cow, or occasionally goat milk. It has a consistency between that of yogurt and that of cheese, and has somewhat of a paste texture. In order to keep it for longer, it can also be allowed to dry and harden further, then formed into balls and preserved in olive oil. Labneh may also be flavored by spices like thyme.

Labneh is a popular mezze dish and sandwich ingredient. The flavour depends largely on the sort of milk used: labneh from cow's milk has a rather milder flavour. In Lebanon, a type of particularly flavoursome goat labneh is known as Anbariz.

References in Popular Culture

• In an episode of The Simpsons Bart's babysitter, Laura, orders Labneh and Kafta Bi Sanieh (perhaps meaning Kibbeh Bi Sanieh. Both dishes are more commonly associated with Lebanon than Afghanistan, incidentally) from the highly unsuccessful Afghani restaurant "Two Guys From Kabul":

Laura: *Indicating the food* "Take your Kafta Bi Sanieh, and dip it in the Labneh."

Bart: "Now that is good Labneh!"

See also

• List of cheeses

External links

• Recipe for making Labneh

Middle Eastern cheeses | Armenian cuisine | Syrian cuisine | Lebanese cuisine | Palestinian cuisine | Middle Eastern cuisine | Levantine cuisine | Mediterranean cuisine | sheep's-milk cheeses | cow's-milk cheeses | goat's-milk cheeses