Leben (milk product)

The term leben, variously laban, lben (Arabic: لبن) is used across the Arab World (Middle East and North Africa),^[1] to refer to a food or beverage of fermented milk. Generally, there are two main products known as leben: in the Levant region, yogurt; and in Arabia and North Africa (Maghreb), buttermilk. The practice of intentionally allowing milk to sour has been known since ancient times and practiced by many cultures.

Yogurt

Buttermilk drink

Leben as a drink is traditionally prepared by allowing milk to ferment for around 24 hours, then churning and removing the butter. The remaining buttermilk can keep for several days at room temperature. In modern times, it is produced industrially.

References

^ FAO corporate document repository, “The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries”, “[1]”

v t e Yogurt
Varieties	Curd Dadiah Dhau Frozen Matzoon Nai lao Qatiq Strained
Cultures	Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus Streptococcus thermophilus Lactobacillus Bifidobacterium
Dishes	Borani Churri Çılbır Chukauni Cucumber raita Dahi chutney Dahi baigana Dahi machha Dahi puri Dahi vada Dahibara Aludam Dovga Jameed Kadhi Kashk Mitha dahi Parfait Papri chaat Raita Shrikhand Spas Tarator Tzatziki Zhoixo
Drinks	Acidophiline Ayran Chaas Chal Chalap Doogh Lassi Leben Mattha Nai lao Omaere Ryazhenka Varenets
Related	Fermented milk products Amasi Buttermilk Calpis Clabber Crème fraîche Filmjölk Jocoque Kefir Kumis Mursik Quark Skyr Smetana Sour cream Soured milk Suorat Viili Yakult Yayık ayranı Ymer Whey

v t e Lebanese cuisine
Beverages	Non-alcoholic Jallab Arabic coffee Turkish coffee White coffee Mur Dibs Sahlab Sharbat Turkish tea Fermented Ayran Beer Almaza Beer Distilled Arak Wines Ksara
Breads	Ka'ak Katma Manakish Pita Fatayer Khubz tannoor Markook
Meze	Arab salad Baba ghanoush Glasswort salad Ful medames Hommus Kibbeh Muhammara Sarma Shakshouka Tabbouleh Yogurt Labneh
Cheeses	Braided cheese Kashkawan cheese Hallum cheese
Soups	Chorba Sheep's sorrel soup Lentil soup Haleem soup Tripe soup Yogurt soup
Dishes	Stuffed quinces Börek Bulgur Falafel Stuffed tomatoes Dry meatballs Fasouliya Musaqa‘a Stuffed eggplants Fried eggplant Pilaf
Grilled meats	Kebab Shawarma Kofta Shish kofte
Desserts	Phoenicia dessert Baklava Basbousa Walnut stuffed figs Hurma Fig roll Halva Qurabiya Kanafeh Ma'amoul Majun Marron glacé Muhallebi Quince dessert Moghli Flour kurabiye Rahat al-halqum
Frequent ingredients	Vegetables Bean Bell pepper Eggplant Leek Lentil Spinach Tomato Herbs & spices Almond Black pepper Chestnut Cinnamon Cumin Dried apricot Garlic Hazelnut Mint Nut Olive Olive oil Onion Oregano Paprika Parsley Pistachio Red pepper Thyme Walnut
Unique instruments	Raʾwa Kazan Manqal
Related cuisines	Arab Levantine Mediterranean Middle Eastern Armenian Cypriot Ottoman Syrian

Yogurt

Buttermilk drink

See also

References