If you've tried labneh cheese/spread in a mezze meal, you might be surprised to know it's really easy to make yourself at home. And delicious!

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A few years ago, one of my friends moved to Jordan for work and it didn't take long for me to try to figure out a way of visiting. Our trip wasn't all that long, but between being a relatively small country and the help we had in sorting out details, we got to see and do as much as possible.

There were so many great things about the trip but the food was definitely up there. I was already familiar with many of the foods of the region like humous and tabbouleh, but labneh was one I was less familiar with. When I tried it, I instantly loved it.

What is labneh?

Labneh is kind of like a soft, cream cheese made from Greek yogurt and as such, it's a lot lighter in calories. The idea of making your own cheese might seem a bit scary but believe me, this is really easy.

You can see just how easy it is in the video!

When would you eat it?

Labneh is something you would tend to get as part of a selection of mezze. Mezze are often split into cold and hot dishes, where you tend to start with the cold and move on to the hot. These can be either the appetizer before a main, or eat enough to be a meal in itself.

There's one time in particular that I remember sharing labneh, humous, falafel, flatbread and fries with my friends in a small alleyway in Amman. It was basically a collection of stalls with lots of plastic tables out front. Waiters would go to the various stalls for you to get your order, each one specializing in different parts of the meal. It was all so good and really cheap as well.

At home, you can eat labneh in a variety of ways. You can make your own mezze with any of your choice of some hummus, flatbread, tabbouleh, fattoush, falafel or any other favorites. Or, keep it more simple and use it spread on some toast. Why not try it topped with a few walnuts and some honey, or drizzled with olive oil and za'atar as I have topped it here.

Labneh is so easy to make and deliciously creamy. Add your own flavors and dip in or spread it, and be sure to enjoy.

Looking for other dips/spreads (that would also be perfect for a mezze meal?) Try these!

Baba ghanoush (eggplant dip/spread)
Muhammara (Red pepper and walnut dip/spread)
You could also use Israeli salad to go alongside/on top since it is diced small.
Get more ideas to complete your meal in the Israeli and Middle Eastern recipes archives.

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