🧀 Shanklish

Shanklish is a Levantine cheese made from strained fermented milk, shaped into balls, dried and rolled in spices. It is made in Syria and Lebanon, especially in mountain areas.

The base is soured milk or yoghurt from cow's or sheep's milk. It is heated and drained to a thick mass, salted, rolled into balls and dried. The balls are then coated in za'atar (a thyme and sesame mix) or red pepper and left to ripen for several weeks. It is grouped with Hard cheeses; in principle it is close to the dried balls of kurt.

The taste is pungent, salty and tangy with herbal notes; the texture is dense and crumbly.

Shanklish is crumbled and served as a meze with tomatoes, onion and olive oil, with flatbread.

There are fresh and aged forms. Fresh shanklish tastes milder and more lactic. With longer ripening the balls become harder and sharper, and mould may form on the surface; it is washed off before the balls are coated in spices.

It differs from labneh, which is fresh strained yoghurt that is neither dried nor aged. Keep shanklish in the fridge in a closed container or in a jar under olive oil so it does not dry out. Besides meze, it is crumbled into scrambled eggs and salads. It pairs with anise-flavoured arak or a dry white wine; see Wine and cheese.

Why it matters to you: shanklish shows how drying and spices help preserve milk in a warm climate; it is salty and sharp, so a small portion is enough.