Labneh bil Fistuk

Syrian strained yoghurt dressed with crushed pistachios, za'atar, olive oil and pomegranate seeds

Origin: Syria, Lebanon and the Levant

From the journey of Pistachio.

Labneh (لبنة, also spelled labne or labneh depending on the dialect) is strained yoghurt: yoghurt suspended in cloth or muslin for hours or days until the whey drains away and what remains is a dense, creamy, intensely tangy curd halfway between yoghurt and fresh cheese. It is one of the oldest dairy preparations in the world, documented in the Levant from the Bronze Age onward, and it is the everyday breakfast and meze staple of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan. The combination of labneh with crushed pistachios, za'atar (the wild thyme-sumac-sesame spice blend of the Levantine hillsides), and olive oil is among the most ancient flavour combinations in Middle Eastern food: each element has been grown, gathered, and eaten in the same landscape for at least three thousand years. The pistachio in this preparation is not a garnish but a structural element: roughly crushed, it provides a contrasting crunch and a gentle sweetness against the sharp acidity of the labneh, while the green of the pistachio and the crimson of the pomegranate seeds create the colour combination that has characterised Levantine food presentation from the medieval Arab cookbooks forward. In Syrian homes, labneh bil fistuk is presented at the meze table on a wide, shallow plate, the white curd spread thinly and pooled with olive oil, scattered with crushed pistachios, za'atar, pomegranate, and a few dried mint leaves: a dish that requires no cooking whatsoever and yet expresses the complete palette of the Levantine pantry.

Ingredients

Labneh

  • 500 g full-fat natural yoghurt
  • 0.5 tsp fine sea salt

Pistachio

  • 80 g raw pistachios, blanched, peeled and roughly crushed (not too fine)

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, the best available, plus extra to finish
  • 1.5 tsp za'atar spice blend

To finish

  • 3 tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds
  • 1 tsp dried mint, crumbled

To serve

  • warm flatbread or pitta, to serve

Method

  1. Mix the salt into the yoghurt. Line a large sieve with three layers of muslin or a clean, thin linen cloth. Pour the yoghurt into the cloth, gather the corners, and tie. Suspend over a bowl in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (or overnight). The whey will drain and the yoghurt will thicken to a dense, spreadable curd.
  2. To crush the pistachios: place the blanched, peeled pistachios between two sheets of baking paper and press and roll with a rolling pin until roughly crushed. You want irregular pieces, some coarse, some fine, not a uniform crumb.
  3. Spread the chilled labneh across a wide, shallow serving plate using the back of a spoon, creating a thin layer with a slight bowl in the centre. Make furrows and waves in the surface with the spoon to catch the oil.
  4. Drizzle the olive oil generously and evenly over the labneh. Scatter the crushed pistachios across the surface. Sprinkle the za'atar, then the pomegranate seeds, then the dried mint.
  5. Finish with another thin thread of olive oil and serve immediately with warm flatbread.

Notes

Labneh keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week before dressing: store the strained curd in a sealed container. Once dressed, it is best eaten within a few hours as the pistachios will soften in the oil over time. In the Levantine tradition, extra-strained labneh (24 to 48 hours) is rolled into balls, coated in dried herbs or crushed pistachios, and preserved in olive oil in jars: labneh mkhalal, a pantry staple that keeps for up to a month and provides an instant meze element.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
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