Israel / Iraq / Iran / Saudi Arabia / Syria / Turkey / Jordan / Lebanon

The story has it that, in as early as 2000 B.C., people in Israel were already making cheese from sheep milk based on a method developed in Mesopotamia. Indeed, Israel is known to have a long history of milk use. Large quantities of various cultured dairy products are still produced in the country today, including leben, a fermented milk, and labneh, a concentrated yogurt, which is also called by other names such as “lebni,” “labneha,” and “labni ,” and is usually eaten fresh but can also be soaked in olive oil or dried for preservation. The dried version of labneh is called “デュバキー.”

In farming villages across Iraq, a local fermented milk called “leben” is produced, which is usually eaten plain or with spices. This type of fermented milk is also called by other names such as “raib,” “laban zabady,” “laban,” and “lben.” In the northern part of Iraq, there is another type of traditional yogurt variant called “kashk,” which is prepared by mixing heated, dried, and coarsely ground wheat with yogurt, fermenting it for an hour, drying it in the sun, and grinding it, then dissolving it in water for consumption.

In Iran, yogurt is called “mast.” One of the popular beverages that contain mast is doogh, which is heavily consumed especially in summer in Iran and also in neighboring Afghanistan. Doogh is usually prepared by diluting yogurt with water by roughly twofold, and then adding 1% salt and herbs such as mint. There is a more traditional variation of yogurt called “butter doogh,” which is prepared by diluting yogurt with water, putting it in a leather sack, shaking it to remove the butter, and flavoring the remaining buttermilk with salt and other spices. People in Iran also dry the curds of this buttermilk for preservation, which is called “kashk.”

In Saudi Arabia, people have been raising livestock by grazing since ancient times, including sheep and goats as well as camels. The country’s traditional fermented milk products include laban (plain yogurt beverage), zabady (packaged and post-fermented plain yogurt), and labni (condensed yogurt). Laban rayeb is another variation of yogurt available in Saudi Arabia, which is prepared by naturally fermenting milk and removing the cream that rises to the surface. The Bedouin who inhabit the desert regions of the country have their own unique yogurt called “madheer,” which is prepared by fermenting milk, removing the whey, dividing up the remaining curd into small pieces, and air-drying them for preservation; these are then added with water before consumption as yogurt, or dissolved into hot water to drink as a soup. Other types of preserved food unique to the region include oggtt, which is prepared by heating buttermilk to coagulate it and air-drying the resulting curd. Farmers living in the deserts also make and consume their own version of yogurt drink called “ローバー.”

In Syria, the most commonly raised livestock in dairy farming are goats and sheep. The country’s traditional fermented milk products include laban (yogurt), labni (condensed yogurt), and ayran (buttermilk). When the people eat labni, they usually sprinkle ground hot pepper, cumin, mint, etc. on top, and also add some olive oil. Another variant of yogurt unique to Syria is レベネン・ベゼット, which is prepared by fermenting sheep or goat milk in a leather sack, churning it to remove the butter, adding salt to the remaining buttermilk, removing the whey, forming the remaining curd into small balls, and immersing them in olive oil.

Dairy farming has been practiced actively in Turkey, mainly in the mountains of Central Anatolian Plateau, and the country is the world’s largest producer of sheep milk by volume. One of the variations of fermented milk that has been part of Turkish tradition is silivri yogurt, which is made from sheep and buffalo milk that have a high fat content. Silivri is actually prepared through a unique process found nowhere else, which involves putting milk with a fat content of 4 to 5.5% in a container and letting it ferment for about an hour at 40 to 50℃, without putting a lid on the container; when it is done a layer of golden cream is formed on top. Another local variation of yogurt is called “ayran,” which is regarded by many as Turkey’s national drink, which is prepared by mixing yogurt and 1% saline water in equal amounts and is a staple food of Turkish families. A buttermilk prepared by removing butter from yogurt is called ayran, which the nomads consume after adding salt to it. Torba is another variation of fermented milk unique to Turkey, which is a condensed yogurt prepared placing yogurt into a cloth sack (called “torba”) to remove the whey until the ratio of milk solids reaches 30% or so. キスヨーグルト, also known as “winter yogurt” because it is prepared in summer for consumption in winter, is prepared by heating yogurt to remove the whey and thicken it, and then adding salt before placing it in a pot for preservation with its surface covered in olive oil. It is eaten like soft cheese, by mixing with various herbs, spices, and olive oil.

In Jordan, grazing is widely practiced with sheep and goats, taking advantage of the country’s unique geography of deserts and steppes. Laban and labane are widely produced in Jordan. Jameed is one of the traditional fermented milk products of the country, and has been used by the Bedouins to brew tea and cooking foods since ancient times. It is prepared by naturally fermenting sheep milk, placing it into a leather sack and shaking it, taking it out and putting it into a cloth sack to remove the whey, mixing the remaining curd with rock salt, forming it into small balls, and drying them in the sun.

The most popular fermented milk in Lebanon is laban, which is prepared in typical households by mixing cow, sheep, or goat milk with a starter culture, which is a leftover laban from a previous batch. Lanane (labni) is a condensed yogurt that is prepared by placing laban in a cloth sack and removing the whey from it; it is usually consumed in winter. Another yogurt variant, ジャブ・ジャブ which is dried labane, is consumed as a beverage by dissolving it in water and adding various spices and herbs. Kishk is another yogurt variant found in the country, which is prepared by mixing laban and wheat flour and drying. When it is ready to be eaten, dried kishk is crushed and mixed with water, and then simmered to form a porridge, which is typically eaten with bread. Labane anbariz is another fermented milk product unique to Lebanon, which is prepared by removing whey from goat-milk-based laban, adding salt to the remaining curd, and soaking it in olive oil.

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