Making Traditional Labne Is Easy with Greek Yogurt

My father's mother is one of 14 children, eight of them women, and all of them are excellent cooks. I'm a fourth-generation Syrian-Lebanese Trinidadian, so eating a creamy, smooth strained Greek yogurt known as labneh for breakfast is my birthright. A few years ago, my grandmother and her sisters, along with their daughters, granddaughters, and other women from the Syrian-Lebanese community, wrote the Ah'len cookbook to tell the world about our families ' cultural and culinary journeys. The founders of our modern community fled religious persecution and the economic difficulties of the Middle East around the early 1900s. When I arrived in the Caribbean, even though everything changed, the recipes passed down from generation to generation kept my family going. Each dish in the cookbook can be changed in countless variations. Who cooks what is better - a constant dispute between distant families. I always claim that Emily's taita (grandmother) makes the best varak enab (stuffed grape leaves), Aunt Roxanne makes the best pita, and Annie's taita makes the best raw kibbeh, but this is all arguable. One thing is for sure: Aunt Linda makes the best fucking labneh. In most Arab homes, tart yogurt is available-never the kind you buy in the store, with fruit and sugar. Unlike most yogurts on the shelves of American grocery stores, labneh is never sweetened or flavored. My family always prefers unsweetened strained Greek yogurt, which is a traditional Arabic breakfast.Labneh is the main dish before any meal that is offered as the main component of mezze. Most often, it's topped with olive oil, but I take it to a whole new level by adding a pinch (or two, or three) of zaatar spice and a mint leaf to garnish. Labneh is served as hummus with a vegetable pillow and served with freshly baked pita bread. In my opinion, whole milk yogurt is the only option, but as a healthier alternative, you can use 2 percent low-fat yogurt. As Linda always exclaims when she says the prayer before our first meal of the day, " Sahtein!" (which translates to "eat up").Note: Labneh needs to be filtered for 24 hours, so prepare and let stand for a few days before use.Linda's labneh
Place a large strainer on the container and cover with two layers of gauze.Pour the yogurt over the cheesecloth and wrap the four corners tightly.Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours to filter.When water accumulates at the bottom of the container, remove the strained yogurt from the refrigerator.Pour the labneh into a bowl, add salt to taste, and toss to combine. For a creamier texture, whisk in a food processor or hand mixer.Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle the zaatar on top. Scoop out the pita bread and wipe down the bowl or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.