Labneh — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A thick strained yogurt cheese that is the cornerstone of Lebanese breakfast and mezze. Drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with dried mint or za atar, its tangy creaminess is the perfect start to any meal.

Ingredients

500g full-fat plain yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried mint
1 tablespoon za atar spice blend
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
8 Kalamata olives
Fresh pita bread for serving

Instructions

1 Mix the yogurt with salt, then pour it into a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl and gather the cloth into a bundle, tying it securely at the top.
2 Place the wrapped yogurt in the refrigerator and let it drain overnight or for at least twelve hours until it has lost half its volume and become thick and spreadable.
3 Unwrap the strained labneh and transfer it to a shallow serving bowl, using the back of a spoon to create a smooth surface with decorative swirls.
4 Drizzle the labneh generously with extra virgin olive oil, creating a pool in the center, then sprinkle half with dried mint and the other half with za atar.
5 Arrange the halved cherry tomatoes and olives around the edges of the bowl and serve with warm, freshly baked pita bread torn into pieces for scooping.

Did You Know?

In Lebanese villages, labneh is traditionally preserved for winter by rolling it into balls and submerging them in jars of olive oil, where they can keep for months without refrigeration.