Yogurt

Appears in
Food of the Sun: A Fresh Look at Mediterranean Cooking

By Alastair Little and Richard Whittington

Published 1995

  • About
Yogurt is an ever-present feature in the food of the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, where - apart from being thinned to drink — it crops up all over the place in bread-making, sauces, relishes and soups. It is a fermented dairy product that is made naturally by airborne acid-producing bacteria but it is capable of being easily cultured. Around the Mediterranean, it is made most often from goats’ or sheep’s milk.
To make thick yogurt, drain it through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Leave it long enough and what is in the sieve will thicken to a basic sour cheese, called labna in Arabic. It can be served dribbled with olive oil and with chopped mint as a dip in a mezze. How cheese-tasting the labna becomes and how thick it is will depend on how long you leave it to drain. It is fun to experiment with. Unsalted and while still of a spoonable consistency, it makes a simple dessert when dribbled with honey.