Labneh
/ˈlæb.neɪ/noun
A thick, tangy fermented dairy product made by straining yogurt, widely eaten in the Middle East.
Did you know?Labneh’s name belongs to the ancient Semitic root l-b-n, linking the concepts of milk and whiteness—a connection also reflected in the traditional etymology of Lebanon, associated with its snow-covered mountains.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*lbn
“A reconstructed root associated with whiteness and milk”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
לָבָן (lavan)
“White; also the personal name Laban”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
لَبَن (laban)
“Milk”
Medieval Levantine Arabic
Arabic
لبنة (labana/labneh)
“A milk-based food, especially strained or preserved yogurt”
20th Century
English
labneh
“A thick strained-yogurt product adopted as an English culinary loanword”