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Strained yoghurt, yoghurt cheese, labneh (also labaneh, lebnah; Arabic لبنة), or Greek yoghurt (in northern Europe) is a type of yoghurt which is strained in a cloth or paper bag or filter, traditionally made of muslin, to remove the whey, giving a consistency between that of yoghurt and cheese, while preserving yoghurt's distinctive sour taste. It is a traditional food in the Middle East and South Asia, where it is often used in cooking, as it is high enough in fat not to curdle at higher temperatures.

Like many yoghurts, strained yoghurt is often made from milk which has been enriched by boiling off some of the water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk.

Strained yoghurt is used in both savoury and sweet dishes, both cooked and raw. In the Middle East and South Asia, it is often used to enrich savoury sauces, as it does not curdle when cooked like unstrained yoghurt. It is used raw in savoury sauces and dips and in sweet desserts.

Recently, it has become popular in northern European cookery, partly because low-fat versions are now made, and so it can function as an alternative to cream in many preparations.

In the United States, strained yoghurt has mostly been available in ethnic stores catering to a Middle Eastern clientele, but FAGE brand moved into the health and natural food stores market starting in 2000.

Types of strained yoghurt

Greek strained yoghurt

Strained yoghurt is used in Greek food mostly as the base for tzatziki dip, and as a dessert, where honey, sour cherry syrup, spoon sweets, and the like are often served on top. A few savoury Greek dishes use strained yoghurt.

Greek yoghurt and hence strained yoghurt is traditionally made from ewe's milk; nowadays, cow's milk is often used, especially in industrial production

In Western Europe, "Greek yoghurt" by itself has come to mean the strained, enriched yoghurt popularized by FAGE. Other "Greek-style" yoghurts are similar to Greek strained yoghurt, but rather than being thickened using the straining technique, they are thickened with thickening agents..

Dahi

Dahi (Hindi, Gujarati,Marathi, Nepali, and Urdu), doi (Bengali), dohi (Oriya), perugu (Telugu), Mosaru (Kannada), or Thayir (Tamil) is a yoghurt of the Indian subcontinent, known for its characteristic taste and consistency. A typical preparation, a dessert called shrikhand, is made with the yoghurt placed in a soft cloth with very fine holes, which is hung to drain for a few hours while all the water drains out. Sugar, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper, cumin powder, saffron, cardamom, diced fruit and nuts may then be mixed in for taste. A special Indian preparation called raita involves adding grated cucumber or grated bottle gourd and spices. In South India, the preparation involves using tomato, cucumber, onion, spinach, radish or snakegourd with cashew nuts or poppy seeds ground along with coconut. In South India, it is common for people to eat rice mixed with plain yoghurt or buttermilk as the last course in a meal.

Bulgarian yoghurt

Bulgarian yoghurt (Template:Lang-bg, lit. sour milk), commonly consumed plain, is popular for its taste, aroma, and quality. The qualities arise from the Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus culture strains used in Bulgaria and Macedonia. Bulgarian yoghurt producers are taking steps to protect the Bulgarian yoghurt trademark in Europe and to distinguish it from other products that do not contain live bacteria. It is also used to prepare Bulgarian milk salad.

Levant

Strained yoghurt or labneh is popular in the Levant.

Besides being used fresh, labneh is also dried then formed into balls, sometimes covered with herbs or spices, and stored in olive oil.

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.

Although not traditionally part of Armenian cuisine, labneh (known as lebni in Armenian) is popular among Armenians from Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon .

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) from the highly unsuccessful Afghani restaurant "Two Guys From Kabul". Both dishes are more commonly associated with the Arab Middle East than Afghanistan, incidentally.

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

Bart: "Now that is good Labneh!"

References

1. Yoghurt article Delia Smith online, accessed on 2007-06-27
2. Fage USA history Fageusa.com, accessed on 2007-06-28
3. Greek Yoghurt Greek-recipe.com, accessed on 2007-06-27
4. Greek vs Greek-style yoghurt Greekyoghurt.com, accessed on 2007-06-28
5. Dahi recipe Retrieved on 2007-07-01

External Links

• Greek Yoghurt recipe site
• Recipe for making Labneh

See also

• List of cheeses

• Yoghurts
• Arab cuisine
• Middle Eastern cuisine
• Middle Eastern cheeses
• Mediterranean cuisine
• Syrian cuisine
• Indian cuisine
• Lebanese cuisine
• Palestinian cuisine
• Levantine cuisine
• Pakistani cuisine
• Sheep's-milk cheeses
• Cow's-milk cheeses
• Goat's-milk cheeses
• Palestinian cheeses
• Appetizers