[Sca-cooks] Yogurt

[Sue Clemenger]

Interesting "variant" on the reference to Canaan as the land of milk and
honey.  I'd always taken it to refer to two of the only foods we consume, as
human beings, that are actually intended to be used *as food.*
My Syrian-ethnic origin friends refer to yogurt cheese as "lebnah" or
"lebneh" (sp?), also.  I really like the stuff, myself.  Makes a wonderful
substitute for sour cream.  I actually bought a quart of plain yogurt this
morning to make some this week.  It's going into a Thai peanut dip that I'll
serve with slices of raw jicama at this week's Guild Night.  Makes great
tzaziki sauce, too, or a raita (cucumber and carrot and a little
cumin....wonderful to serve with curries)....
Mmmm.....cool summer foods....mmmmm.....
--Mmmmmaire, devoutly wishing it were NOT *NINETY-SIX DEGREES* OUT THERE!!
(ahem! *koff* sorry about that....I *hate* unseasonably hot weather ;o)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carole Smith" <renaissancespirit2 at yahoo.com>
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2007 11:44 AM
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Yogurt


> Years before I discovered the SCA I had a Lebanese friend who had lived in
Alexandria before coming to the US.  He stated that in [modern] Arabic,
laban means yoghurt unless you are in Egypt, in which case laban means milk.
He also stated that the promised land was the land of yoghurt (not milk) and
honey, and that the original translators had learned the Egyptian version of
arabic (and gotten it wrong).  This was in casual conversation, and you may
place what value you find appropriate on his words.
>
>   Being a bit cautious, my interpretation of his words is that in Lebanon
and Syria, and possibly other Arabic countries, laban means yoghurt.  Lebneh
(I am writing it the way he said the word) is yoghurt cheese.