What is Leben and how is it made?

What is leben?

Leben is a fermented milk drink. The word is a regional spelling of the Arabic laban, meaning milk or soured milk, and it is also written lben or liben in North Africa. It is sour, thin and cooling, and it is often served cold with meals or on hot days. Broadly there are two forms: a thin drinking yogurt, common in the Levant, and a buttermilk-style drink, common in parts of Arabia and North Africa.

How is leben made?

Methods vary, but the base principle is the same: lactic acid bacteria turn milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid, which thickens and sours the milk.

1. In many homes, milk is boiled, cooled, mixed with a spoonful of yogurt or leftover leben as a starter, and left to ferment, often overnight in a warm place.
2. In Morocco, lben is traditionally made from milk that ferments naturally at room temperature for a day or more until it curdles, and the liquid left after churning the butter is also called lben.
3. Factory products use pasteurized milk and chosen bacterial cultures, which gives a steady taste.

Use pasteurized milk and clean containers if you make it at home. Raw milk can carry harmful bacteria.

What does leben taste like?

Tangy and plain, or lightly salted, depending on the product. It is thinner than most yogurt, closer to buttermilk or kefir. A similar salted yogurt drink is the Turkish ayran.

Is leben the same as yogurt?

They are close relatives. Both are fermented milk. Yogurt is usually thicker and made with specific cultures, while leben is thinner and drinkable. In the Levant the same word can mean a drinking yogurt, and thick strained yogurt is called labneh.

How do you use leben?

• Drink it cold, plain or lightly salted
• Serve with spicy food or grilled meat
• Use it in place of buttermilk in baking or as a marinade
• Blend into sauces or cold soups

Like other dairy, it is not suitable for people with milk allergy and may bother people with lactose intolerance. Keep it in the fridge and use it by the date on the pack.