Akkawi cheese (also Akawi, Akawieh or Ackawi) is a white brine cheese, native to Palestine. It is named for the city of Akka, where it first originated, the Arabic akkawi meaning “from akka”. It is commonly made using cow milk, but can be made with goat or sheep’s milk as well. It is now produced on [...]
Basket is a cheese made from cow’s milk and is found as two types; fresh and dry. Fresh basket has no salt taste, while dry basket has a mild salt taste to it. Basket gets its name from the way it is formed (inside a basket).Italians often use this cheese during Easter to [...]
labneh/labaneh, dahi, or Strained/Greek yoghurt is yoghurt which has been 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. Like many yoghurts, strained yoghurt is often made from milk which has [...]
Jameed is hard dry laban made from sheeps’ milk. Milk is kept in a fine woven cheesecloth to make a thick yogurt. Salt is added daily to thicken the yogurt even more and the outside of the yogurt filled cheesecloth is rinsed with water to allow any remaining whey to seep through. After a few [...]
Jibneh Arabieh is a simple cheese found all over the Middle East. It is particularly popular in the Persian Gulf area. The cheese has an open texture and a mild taste similar to Feta but less salty. The heritage of the product started with Bedouins, using goat or sheep milk; however, current practice is to [...]
Nabulsi (or naboulsi) is one of a number of white brined cheeses made in the Middle East. Its name denotes its place of origin, Nablus, and it is well-known throughout the West Bank and surrounding regions. It is the principal cheese consumed in Jordan.Produced primarily from sheep milk, goat’s milk is also used. Nabulsi cheese [...]
Paneer is the most common South Asian and Persian cheese. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or other food acid. The process is similar to queso blanco, except that paneer does not have salt added. The texture of paneer is very similar to that [...]
Shanklish, also known as shinklish, shankleesh, sorke, or surke, is a type of cow’s milk or sheep’s milk cheese made in Syria and Lebanon. It is typically formed into balls of approximately 6 cm diameter, which are often covered in zaatar and Aleppo pepper, and then aged and dried.
The most common spice is thyme, [...]
There are numerous different kinds of Syrian cheese. Some of the most common are:
Jibne Khadra or white cheese, a hard cheese with a pronounced salty taste, often boiled before eating
Shelal, a salty white cheese made up of strands of cheese woven together
Surke, sorke or shanklish, a mature cheese made with spices and generally presented as [...]