Clarifying Butter

Ahlan Wa Sahlan (Welcome): Middle Eastern Fats

The fertilized lands in the Middle East are the birthplace of the earliest civilizations: the Sumerians and the Egyptians. Encompassing the Euphrates, Tigris, and the Nile Rivers, these abundant plains are where man first began domesticating sheep and goats 10,000 years ago as the principal source of nomadic and desert foods. The indigenous tribes incorporated small goat and sheep herds and their byproducts as part of their culinary traditions. As early civilizations—the Persian Empire, Hellenic, Byzantines, and the later Ottoman Empire—fought for dominance over thousands of years of conquests and invasions, the Arabic inhabitants assimilated others’ traditions and recipes. The mingling of history curated the distinctive characteristics of Middle Eastern cooking. Although olive cultivation and trade originated in Syria, Palestine, and Crete, and is the most recognizable fats used in the Middle East, it is not the only one used. Instead, animal fats and milk have been part of the culinary tradition of this region since ancient times. May the story of alya, samna, and laban tell the history and the language of food of the Middle East.

Alya

Traditionally, animal fats, alya/alyah, or rendered fat from a sheep's tail, were used in cooking throughout Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. Domestic sheep migrated to Southwest Asia during the Neolithic era, and the fat-tailed sheep have existed since Babylonian times. In a mosaic in Beit Alpha, a Byzantine synagogue in Israel from the 5^th to 6^th century, depicted is a fat-tailed sheep. Recipes from The Book Of Dishes by Al-Baghdadi, a 13^thentury cookery manuscript, often begin with “cut up fat meat small” followed by “melt tail” to purify its flavor, after which meat and vegetables is added. In Iran, small pieces of fat are skewed on lamb kebabs to keep the meat moist during grilling. In the mountains of Lebanon, minced meat is preserved in rendered lamb to make qawarma. The fat content of the tail is more than 90%, making it a splendid but quite heavy dietary source of fat. Today, this Middle Eastern tradition is primarily practiced in rural areas, but its use has generally been replaced by a clarified butter called samna, and other vegetable oils.

Samna

Samna/smen/samneh/samn, is clarified butter that is then spiced and fermented in jars and stored for months, or even years, allowing it to develop strong and nutty flavors. During the clarifying process, milk solids, impurities, and water are removed, allowing the samna to be preserved without refrigeration, which has been essential in a warm climate and among people who were traditionally nomadic. During the spring, the nomadic Bedouins who breed sheep use the milk from a ewe, who just gave birth, to make musk-flavored samneh baladieh with turmeric, nutmeg, and cracked wheat. Samneh is also a particular feature of Palestine cuisine with a range of spices and herbs. Making smen, and aging it until pungent, is a Berber tradition in Morocco. Mixing it with hot couscous can add a distinctive buttery flavor and help to separate the grains. The Ethiopian clarified spiced butter with fenugreek, Nitter Kibbeh, gives doro wet, a traditional Ethiopian stew, a delectable bittersweet flavor. This pure source of fat is commonly used, with regional differences, as a spread for bread, to flavor rice and stews, frying oil, and as a shortening in flakey Arabic pastries.

Laban

Laban, a Syrian and Lebanese fermented milk product, has been an essential element of this region’s diet for thousands of years. The exact origin is unknown, but it is commonly considered an accident under warm weather before the Phoenician era. The Turks referred to this fermented milk as yoğurt since the 8^th century, and the translation became known as yogurt today. Nowadays, laban is made at home regularly with a starter containing the bacteria bulgaricus through lactic fermentation. Laban made with buffalo milk is preferred in India and Pakistan for its creamier consistency resulting from a higher fat and calcium content. Don’t be surprised by laban made with camel milk in the desert regions. Laban is one of the most versatile chief ingredients in Middle Eastern cooking. It is used to thicken and flavor cold or hot soups and stews, in salads, as a marinade for meat, and even for drinks and desserts. In Iraq, laban is sometimes diluted with soda water or flavored with mint as a popular drink sold on the streets. In Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, it is added to the dough to make golden doughnuts drizzled with rose water syrup.