Leben (milk product)

Food or beverage of fermented milk

Leben

A jar of leben

Course| Breakfast, lunch
Region or state| Middle East, Northern Africa
Serving temperature| Cold
Main ingredients| Milk, yogurt, half-and-half

* Cookbook: Leben (Middle Eastern Sour Milk)
* Media: Leben

The term leben, variously laban, liben, lben // ⓘ (Arabic: لبن) in the Middle East and North Africa,[1] refers to a food or beverage of fermented milk. Generally, there are two main products known as leben: the yogurt variant for the Levant region and the buttermilk variant for parts of Arabia and North Africa (Maghreb). Leben can be served at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.[2]

## Buttermilk variant

[edit]

Leben as a drink is traditionally prepared by letting milk ferment for around 24 hours, then churning and removing the butter. The remaining buttermilk can keep for several days at room temperature. In modern times, it is produced industrially.[citation needed]

## Yogurt variant

[edit]

Leben in parts of the Middle East is traditionally prepared by boiling milk, usually whole milk, then adding yogurt (or previously made, leftover/store-bought leben), and then cooled overnight.[citation needed]

### In Israel

[edit]

In the early 20th century, small dairies run by Ashkenazi Jews in what was then Ottoman Palestine began producing the yogurt variant in quantity. It was called leben, from the Arabic, meaning "white", cognate to the Hebrew "לָבָן" (lavan). Leben was of extremely high importance to Jews during the British Mandate years, and was considered a dietary staple. During the tzena (austerity) period that followed the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, leben qualified for the state rationing system and was issued as a basic staple dairy product. Due to its importance during tzena, leben became indelibly ingrained in Israeli culture. In the 1970s, strawberry and chocolate flavours of leben appeared on store shelves, but these have largely been supplanted by fruit-flavoured yogurts.[3]

## See also

[edit]

* List of yogurt-based dishes and beverages
* Yogurt

Similar beverages:

* Ayran
* Cacık
* Chaas
* Chal
* Chalap
* Doogh
* Filmjölk
* Kefir
* Kumis
* Lassi
* Skyr

## References

[edit]

1. ^ FAO corporate document repository, "The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries", "[1]"
2. ^ NPSelection (2018-05-03). "Fermented Milk Products from All Over the World. Leben and Kishk". natprosel. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
3. ^ Marks, Gil (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 355–356\. ISBN 978-0544186316.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Leben (milk product) at Wikimedia Commons

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Yogurt

Varieties|

* Curd
* Dadiah
* Dhau
* Frozen
* Matzoon
* Nai lao
* Qatiq
* Strained

Cultures|

* Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus
* Streptococcus thermophilus
* Lactobacillus
* Bifidobacterium

Dishes|

* Borani
* Churri
* Çılbır
* Chukauni
* Cucumber raita
* Dahi chutney
* Dahi baigana
* Dahi machha
* Dahi puri
* Dahi vada
* Dahibara Aludam
* Dovga
* Jameed
* Kadhi
* Kashk
* Mitha dahi
* Parfait
* Papri chaat
* Raita
* Shrikhand
* Spas
* Tarator
* Tzatziki
* Zhoixo

Drinks|

* Acidophiline
* Ayran
* Chaas
* Chal
* Chalap
* Doogh
* Lassi
* Leben
* Mattha
* Nai lao
* Omaere
* Ryazhenka
* Varenets

Related|

* Fermented milk products
* Amasi
* Buttermilk
* Calpis
* Clabber
* Crème fraîche
* Filmjölk
* Jocoque
* Kefir
* Kumis
* Mursik
* Quark
* Skyr
* Smetana
* Sour cream
* Soured milk
* Suorat
* Viili
* Yakult
* Yayık ayranı
* Ymer
* Whey

* v
* t
* e

Lebanese cuisine

Beverages|

* Non-alcoholic
* Jallab
* Arabic coffee
* Turkish coffee
* White coffee
* Mur
* Dibs
* Sahlab
* Sharbat
* Turkish tea
* Fermented
* Ayran
* Beer
* Almaza Beer
* Distilled
* Arak
* Wines
* Ksara

Breads|

* Ka'ak
* Katma
* Manakish
* Pita
* Fatayer
* Khubz tannoor
* Markook

Meze|

* Arab salad
* Baba ghanoush
* Batata harra
* Glasswort salad
* Ful medames
* Hommus
* Kibbeh
* Muhammara
* Sarma
* Shakshouka
* Tabbouleh
* Yogurt
* Labneh

Cheeses|

* Akkawi
* Braided cheese
* Kashkawan cheese
* Hallum cheese

Soups|

* Chorba
* Sheep's sorrel soup
* Lentil soup
* Haleem soup
* Tripe soup
* Yogurt soup

Dishes|

* Stuffed quinces
* Börek
* Bulgur
* Falafel
* Stuffed tomatoes
* Dry meatballs
* Fasouliya
* Musaqa‘a
* Stuffed eggplants
* Fried eggplant
* Pilaf

Grilled meats|

* Kebab
* Shawarma
* Kofta
* Shish kofte

Desserts|

* Phoenicia dessert
* Baklava
* Basbousa
* Walnut stuffed figs
* Hurma
* Fig roll
* Halva
* Qurabiya
* Kanafeh
* Ma'amoul
* Majun
* Marron glacé
* Muhallebi
* Quince dessert
* Moghli
* Flour kurabiye
* Rahat al-halqum

Frequent ingredients|

* Vegetables
* Bean
* Bell pepper
* Eggplant
* Leek
* Lentil
* Spinach
* Tomato
* Herbs and spices
* Almond
* Black pepper
* Chestnut
* Cinnamon
* Cumin
* Dried apricot
* Garlic
* Hazelnut
* Mint
* Nut
* Olive
* Olive oil
* Onion
* Oregano
* Paprika
* Parsley
* Pistachio
* Red pepper
* Thyme
* Walnut
* Za'atar

Unique instruments|

* Raʾwa
* Kazan
* Manqal

Related cuisines|

* Arab
* Levantine
* Mediterranean
* Middle Eastern
* Armenian
* Cypriot
* Ottoman
* Syrian

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