Categories
Preserving Ambarees – Arabic brochure
Tag: dairy
Categories
Preserving Ambarees – English brochure
Categories
Route of Mediterranean dairy products
The LACTIMED project, with financial support from the European Union under the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme, has prepared and published in 2015 a guide to all dairy products lovers!
The guide offers options of agritourism activities based on dairy products in 5 countries around the Mediterranean basin: Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Egypt and Lebanon! It describes the wealth of selected regions in each country, the dairy sector, sites and farms to visit, what to buy, where to sleep and eat etc.
The traditional Lebanese dairy products are described in this 78-pages guide and darb el karam – Food Heritage Trail is featured on page 57!
To access the electronic version of the guide press here.
Under the Lactimed project, the Food Heritage Foundation (FHF) and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture of Zahle & the Bekaa (CCIAZ) initiated their collaboration on preserving a typical dairy product of the region called “Ambarees“. The idea of this cluster pilot project is to identify, through a survey, Ambarees producers in the Bekaa and gather information on the production process of this traditional dairy product and try to standardize it to enhance its marketing potentials and preserve its production.
The documentation of Ambarees making was collected through a workshop that was hosted by CCIAZ in its offices in Zahle on December 19, 2015 and was organized by FHF. Twelve Ambarees producers from various parts of the Bekaa attended the workshop and participated in the working sessions that were organized; they shared their know-how with each others and described their process of Ambarees production then identified the main challenges that they are facing.
The participatory session was then followed by a brief session on food safety practices in Ambarees production focusing on how to abide by food safety standards while preserving the traditional aspect of this product.
The next phase of this project is to identify Ambarees earthenware producers and provide the dairy producers with tested earthenware jars to in order to increase their production. A brochure aiming at promoting this traditional product will also be prepared and distributed in relevant events.
Traditional animal of the Mediterranean, the goat is raised in most countries of the region, for its production of milk that is almost entirely transformed, in a traditional way, to cheese and other dairy products.
[quote] Nutrition Corner: For all those with “sensitive stomachs” out there, Goat’s milk might be the solution for you! With a lower content of lactose and a structure close to that of breastmilk, Goat’s milk is usually easier to digest than Cow’s milk. Plus it has more calcium, potassium and Vitamin A![/quote]
Goat farming is widespread in the marginal areas of Lebanon; the adopted breeding system is the extensive pastoral system, centuries old, relying on pastures as its main source of feed. The local goat population consists mainly of the indigenous breed of Baladi goat characterized by its rusticity and ability to value the limited resources of the tough land that no other ruminants can reach.
The consumption of goat milk is valued on the national level, especially in the regions that exhibit goat farming. In 2010, goat milk production reached 32 million tons. Goat dairy products are consumed as cheese, laban, labneh, ayran and other more typical products characterized by their production and conservation techniques like Kishk, Ambarees labneh and Darfieh cheese. While Ambarees, traditionally produced in the Bekaa Valley, consists of fermented raw goat milk in earthenware jars, Darfieh cheese, a specialty of North Lebanon, is fermented in a cow skin prepared in advance particularly to make this cheese.
Goat milk production is seasonal, and preservation methods of caprine dairy products vary: goat labneh and Ambarees are usually shaped into small balls and conserved in glass jars with olive oil, Ambarees can also be frozen for later use, Darfieh cheese is conserved in olive oil as well, baladi goat cheese is preserved in brine (salty water), and kishk is well-maintained as powder to be used in soup and other recipes.
At the Ghorayeb family business, one can experience the entire process of dairy production and bulgur. With more than 40 years of experience in dairy production, the mother – Amale Ghorayeb – decided to open her own business of goat milk dairy products. Tante Amale takes milk from shepherds in her village and other surrounding villages, a true ode to local production and Km Zero.
With time, and assisted with her daughter Grace, she extended her business to include cow milk processing and to develop her line of mouneh.
Following her footsteps, her son Fadi, opened a wheat mill and a bakery for mana’ish; he processes wheat to make different grades of bulgur while his wife manages the bakery which makes all sorts of mana’ish and pastries.
Under the mid-summer sun, kishk is spread and left to dry on white sheets on the rooftops of Lebanese villages, before it is ground into powder. Kishk, a preserved dairy product made from cracked wheat fermented in milk and yogurt, is prepared in different ways and is used in the cuisines of Iran, Turkey, Mongolia, Transcaucasia and the Levant, namely Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan.
Kishk has been prepared and consumed in Lebanon since the 10th century. Kishk can be prepared using cow, sheep or goat milk; however the kishk found on the market is made with cow milk exclusively as goat milk gives it a strong, acidic taste, which might not be appealing to the wider public.
Traditionally, kishk is prepared with brown wheat bulgur; nevertheless, consumers prefer a light colored, whitish kishk powder. To satisfy their demand, kishk producers use white wheat bulgur instead of the brown one; however, for their house consumption, producers still use the brown wheat bulgur.
During the first 4 days after soaking bulgur in yogurt, it is rubbed by hand on a daily basis, to make sure that yogurt is fully absorbed by the coarse bulgur grains. Meanwhile, more yogurt is added gradually in order to keep the mixture from drying out. Salt is also added to the mixture to prevent mold formation.
Kishk is then left to ferment for 9 days, after which “green” kishk is obtained, which is consumed fresh like labneh, or conserved in extra virgin olive oil in glass jars. Green kishk is then spread on cloth sheets, on the house’s rooftop to dry under the sun. Every morning, it is rubbed between the palms of the hands to break the kishk mixture into smaller pieces and accelerate the drying process. When fully dry, kishk is sifted then ground into a fine powder to become the kishk mix we know.
Traditionally, rubbing and sifting kishk was considered as a social event when the neighborhood women used to gather on one roof to help each other, an occasion to share stories and anecdotes.
The use of dry kishk differs among Lebanese regions. Kishk can be prepared in different forms such as salads (Wild mint and kishk salad “Meeykeh”); soups (“shorbet Kishk” and “Kishkiyye”); fillings for turnovers or mana’eesh; hot dishes such as kebbeh with kishk (“kebbeh b kishk”), kishk with eggs (“kishk aala bayd”), cabbage with kishk (“malfouf aala kishk”), wheat-flour dough with kishk (maacaroon b kishk), meat raviolis with kishk (“shish barak b kishk”), etc.