“Growing up, some of the kids at school used to get a cheese sandwich for lunch,” says Accredited Practising Dietitian, “But being a Lebanese-Australian, I always got labneh spread over Lebanese bread.”
Although labneh is not cheese, the appearance of the thick yoghurt product from the Middle East could fool most people into believing that it is.
“Labneh is made of natural yoghurt that’s been strained a lot further than the other types of yoghurt,” explains Hallal. “After all of the water comes out of the yoghurt, it looks like a cream cheese spread.”
Lucky for Hallal, who’s eaten the cheese-like spread consistently throughout her life, labneh not only tastes delicious, it’s great for health. As labneh (pronounced ‘lab-nee’) is pure yoghurt, it boasts proper - it can improve digestion, gut health and mental health.
Spread it on everything. Source: Camellia Aebischer
“Labneh is made entirely of yoghurt, so it is a fermented food with probiotic benefits.”
Labneh is made of natural yoghurt that’s been strained a lot further than the other types of yoghurt.
In fact, labneh is so rich in good bacteria that scientists have been experimenting with food pairings to create a fortified labneh that offers extra probiotics. To date, labneh has been successfully supplemented with , wheat germ extract and in labs worldwide.
looked at other health properties of labneh. The strained yoghurt was compared to 38 varieties of reduced-fat white-brined cheeses like haloumi and Akkawi. Results found that labneh contained the lowest amounts of fat and cholesterol.
Hallal adds that labneh is a quality calcium and protein source that is typically absent of the usual additives found in flavoured yoghurt.
The thick yoghurt is also lower in lactose than cheese due to the straining and fermentation processes involved in making it. This means a lot of the whey and lactose have been removed from the finished product. “Labneh suits some people who are lactose-intolerant.”
READ MORE
Jewel box labne balls
Labneh is a family favourite
There are a few types of labneh – fresh, dried or preserved (usually rolled in herbs and kept in olive oil). Although they differ in texture, they all maintain a traditional sour flavour that can challenge the tang of Greek yoghurt.
This sourness has drawn people towards the product for years. While the original birthplace of labneh remains unclear, we know that generations of yoghurt lovers in the Levant – a region in the Middle East that includes historic areas of Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria – have eaten labneh for many centuries.
Katie Chedid’s family share a long history of making and eating thickened yoghurt. Chedid’s family made labneh in Lebanon for as long as anyone can remember.
As she tells SBS, after her husband’s parents migrated to Australia, they started selling labneh to people throughout Sydney’s inner west. Fifty years on, is still going strong with a labneh range of that are all free of preservatives, gelatine, thickeners and additives.
Chedid, the administration manager at Bekaa Dairy raves about the yoghurt’s versatile sourness.
“To me, sour cream tastes just like thickened cream,” says Chedid. “You can barely taste sourness to it while labneh is concentrated yoghurt that really does taste sour.
“The more you strain the whey from yoghurt, the more intense labneh becomes in flavour. So wherever you use sour cream in your cooking, replace that with labneh.”
Chedid adds labneh to jacket potatoes, stews, soups and Mexican dishes. She even makes cakes with it.
Katie Chedid, administration manager at Bekaa Dairy, uses labneh to make deserts just like this lemon cake. Source: Supplied
“I think it’s so much healthier for you than sour cream. Sour cream is made from the fats of milk [skimmed off the top, combined with lactic acid bacteria]. Labneh is made from whole milk, which is only four per cent fat.
“You can use it as an accompaniment to any dish and add it to anything from rice to noodles. Or you include labneh in a marinade for roast chicken.”
Traditionally, she adds, labneh is often used to top Lebanese pizza. Labneh balls may also be eaten on crackers or crispy Lebanese bread.
“You can make anything you like with labneh. Your imagination is the only thing that stops you from being able to use labneh in a different way."
