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Labne: A tasty low-carb Middle Eastern yoghurt

Labne with olive oil
Ever since I returned from Dubai, I've become fascinated by Middle Eastern cuisine. A couple of weeks ago, I went to Sahadi's in Brooklyn, and I discovered Labne. Labne is a dense yoghurt eaten in Syria and Lebanon. It's not as tangy as many of the Greek yoghurts I've tried in the past, but it has the same thick texture. You can flavor it with crushed mint and olive oil. Also, it doesn't have nearly as many carbs as most yoghurts. Labne from Karoun Dairies in California has just two grams of carbohydrates in a two tablespoon serving size .

For those of you on a low-carb diet, like the Atkin's, Labne is a great find. You can use it as a dip for hamburger meat. It can be a substitute for sour cream. It also tenderizes meat in a stew and adds a great creamy tang to a soup. For those of you not on a strict low carb regimen, I urge you to try it over bread with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, olive oil and maras pepper. When entertaining, Labne can serve as dip for bread. This month, the New York Times Magazine featured a recipe for labne-and-ricotta cheesecakes with rice, nut and raspberry relish.

Ah, the diverse ways you can add labne into your diet! Next time you have zaatar bread, dip it into labne and taste the gastronomic effects of this unique low-carb treat.

Filed Under: Stores & Shopping, Health & Medical, Ingredients
Tags: cheese, low-carb, middle eastern food, MiddleEasternFood, stores-and-shopping, yoghurt, yogurt

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

RobynT

7-21-2008 @11:42PM RobynT said... Cool. My local falafel shop serves this except they spell it labanee. I had been curious and had it described to me as cheese. Anyway, I will definitely try it next time.
Reply

Shaula

7-21-2008 @10:00PM Shaula said... It is easy enough to make your own labne, or yoghourt cheese: just put (good quality) plain white yogurt in a paper coffee filter over a glass in your fridge over night. (You may want to sit the coffee filter in a one-cup coffee maker, or a sieve.)

The liquid drains out and you have a more solid, cheese-like yoghourt the next day.

This also works with non-dairy yoghourt, such as yoghourts made with soy milk or other non-dairy milks.

The resulting yoghourt cheese, or your store-bought labne, also works well as a lower-fat substitute for cream cheese.
Reply

SoRMuiJAi

7-21-2008 @11:19PM SoRMuiJAi said... How is labne lower in carbs? Labne is basically strained yoghurt to remove excess liquid. So shouldn't the amount be the same? It's only the liquid that has been removed?
Reply

stephen

7-21-2008 @11:42PM stephen said... not to mention that plain yogurt has average less carbs than mentioned in the article.

If you took a Traditional Plain Greek Yogurt (30ml approx 2tbspn) you end up with 1.3grams of carbs, when you produce the labne it reduces to about 1/3 the ammount. So you'd be on about 4grams per 2 tablespoons.. So im not sure where you're getting your figures from. (natural yougurt carbs seem to be between 3-8%)
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4 Comments / 1 Pages

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