Dairy
Labneh
Labneh is yoghurt strained until it becomes a thick, spreadable fresh cheese—tart, creamy, and often rolled in balls and stored under olive oil in Levantine tradition. Salt is common; herbs and chilli oil finish mezze plates. Moisture sits between Greek yoghurt and cream cheese. Spread on flatbread, dollop on roasted vegetables, or thin slightly for dips. Full-fat yoghurt strains best. Hang in cloth in the fridge for 12–48 hours depending on desired firmness. Keeps longer than loose yoghurt once well drained and salted; always keep cold.
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Characteristics
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History
Levantine kitchens strained yoghurt into labneh as a durable, portable dairy staple.
Labneh balls in oil became a preserved form across the eastern Mediterranean.
Restaurant mezze culture spread labneh beyond the Levant into global Middle Eastern menus.
Retail tubs of labneh and labneh-style dips entered mainstream Western chilled aisles.