How Labneh is made in the Zuivelarij

Labneh is prepared by draining yogurt. But it’s definitely not that simple. In your own kitchen, of course, you have very little control over temperature and bacteria. Homemade labneh has a limited shelf life and can only be trusted if you consume it quickly. Labneh from the Zuivelarijwill have a shelf life of at least eight weeks from the moment of production. How is our Labneh made? With the help of some pictures, we will show you our production process.

Everything starts on Leen & Gert’s farm.

In our Dairy, we process different types of milk from local farmers. For each product we make, we get the milk from one specific farmer. It is our way of shortening the chain. We get the sheep’s milk for our Labneh from Gert & Leen in Moorsel. Thanks to its high fat content and its richness in protein, sheep’s milk lends itself perfectly to the production of labneh.

Yogurt

First, we make yogurt. When you make yogurt, you want it to be firm, creamy and homogeneous. You don’t want any liquid to leak out afterwards. However, we want just that, which is why we use a specific bacterial culture. The milk ferments for several hours, after which it is no longer milk, but yogurt.

Draining

We put the chilled basic yogurt in 30-liter bags, that way it can leak out for 48 hours. This is a fairly artisanal process. While there are expensive machines that shorten the process, we will still have to make (and sell of course) a lot of Labneh before using these techniques.

Stacking

To ensure that the labneh always has the same texture, it is stacked for another 12 to 24 hours, depending on the season. In the end, about 60% of the sheep’s milk will remain. All the goodness of the yogurt is now concentrated.

Stirring

In this penultimate step, we stir until there are barely any drier bits left in it so that the labneh becomes nice and smooth and soft. Not because these little firm pieces in the labneh would be bad, on the contrary, they are just the tastiest. We also do not stir too long because then the structure of the labneh would become thin again. A delicate task.

Packaging

At the end of the production process, the labneh is put into 220-gram jars, 3-kg buckets or 10-kg bags. It now has a shelf life of at least 6 weeks. At the least! Because if the labneh tastes good and is stored properly, you can still eat it after the expiration date. You can buy our Labneh in some Delhaize branches, many Spar stores and in the better food stores.

Share this page if you want to!