“Ambarees”, also known as “Sirdeleh” or “Labnet al Jarra”, is a traditional dairy product of the Bekaa Valley consisting of fermented raw goat milk in earthenware jars that develops into a sour labneh. Making Ambarees has become a rare practice in remote areas of rural Lebanon, and the Ambarees labneh has become a sought after product.
The Food Heritage Foundation together with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture of Zahle and the Bekaa, through the Lactimed project are seeking to revive and promote the tradition of making Ambarees by documenting the production process of this dairy product and identifying jar producers.
During the workshop that was organized last December and which gathered Ambarees producers from all over the Bekaa region, participants shared their methods of producing Ambarees and a unified procedure was developed. A session on safe production and handling was delivered by the Food Heritage Foundation public health specialists.
Subsequently, a brochure was prepared and included technical and nutritional information on this traditional product.
In order to sustain this production, jars of 20L capacity were purchased from an identified potter and distributed to Ambarees producers from the Bekaa. More activities related to the safety of this product will follow during this coming season.
