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Cheese from Lebanon

Shanklishشنكليش

Yoghurt is heated until it curdles, strained, salted and rolled into balls, which are coated in thyme, chilli or sumac. The balls are dried, then aged for several weeks to months, about 30 days in a dark sealed container in one account, until mould grows on them, giving a pungent, crumbly cheese.

Fully documentedCheese12 months – 13 months

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedHousehold and farm process with no fixed amounts in the sources read. The review of Dimassi et al. (2025) gives 12–14 kg of milk per kg of mature shanklish.
YoghurtHeated to coagulate its proteins, then strained[dimassi2025][nehme2019]
Salt[dimassi2025]
Thyme (za'atar), chilli or sumacCoating for the balls[dimassi2025]
Starterthe base is yoghurt, itself a fermented milk; surface mould grows on the balls during ageing, and the spice coating is said to promote it

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 months – 13 months

Start
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What changes: Heat curdles the yoghurt into curds and whey

Step 1 of 6
Heat yoghurt until it curdles
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Moulds

Output: curd.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
curds in whey
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

heat sets the proteins of the soured milk

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Yoghurt is heated until it curdles, strained, salted and rolled into balls, which are coated in thyme, chilli or sumac. The balls are dried, then aged for several weeks to months, about 30 days in a dark sealed container in one account, until mould grows on them, giving a pungent, crumbly cheese. Made in 6 steps over 12 months – 13 months. The longest step, store, takes up to 12 months (Dimassi O 2025). Salt is 4–6 % (Dimassi O 2025). Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Companilactobacillus alimentarius do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepup to 12 monthsReported[dimassi2025]Store
Salt4–6 %Reported[dimassi2025]Salt and roll into spiced balls

What makes this one different

Shanklish starts from yoghurt, not fresh milk, and is set by heat and acid rather than rennet. The curd is rolled into balls, coated in thyme or chilli, dried and aged until surface moulds grow.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Fresh (green) shanklishEaten within days of shaping; milder and softer, not mould-ripened.
  • SurkThe name Esen and Çetin (2021) use; they list shanklish as another name for surk.

Safety

Dimassi et al. (2025) say shanklish is aged in open environments without microbial control, which favours contamination by spoilage organisms or pathogens. In a Syrian study of samples from the coast, collected in 2009 and 2010, every sample was above the Syrian standard's E. coli limit and the total bacterial count was high, while Staphylococcus aureus was absent. Dimassi et al. say properly ripened shanklish keeps several months to a year, cool or in oil-sealed jars, and give a pH close to 4.1 for it, but the Syrian study reports pH 6.14, and no source we read tests botulism in shanklish under oil. CDC names garlic in oil as a botulism source and says to refrigerate homemade oils made with garlic or herbs and throw them away after 4 days. That advice is not about this cheese; with no test to go on, keep oil-sealed jars cold as a precaution.

Hazards the sources name: Escherichia coli, above the Syrian standard's limit in every one of the shanklish samples from the Syrian coast (2009–2010); total bacterial count 4.7 × 10^7 per g.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Dimassi et al. (2025) describe cave-aged shanklish from the village of Rahbeh in North Lebanon, traditionally made in summer and eaten in winter as a way of preserving milk, and say it has been identified as a potential candidate for PGI recognition.

  1. [cdc-prev] CDC, Preventing botulism (botulism prevention page), read 2026-11gov
  2. [harfoush2011] Harfoush M. (محسن حرفوش) 2011, دراسة خصائص جبن الشنكليش في الساحل السوري ومقارنتها بمثيلاتها من بعض الأجبان العالمية, مجلة جامعة اللاذقية، سلسلة العلوم البيولوجية (Latakia University Journal, Biological Sciences Series) 33(5) (abstract)paper
  3. [dimassi2025] Dimassi O., Jaber L., Fleyfel L., Hamadeh S. 2025, Milk supply in Lebanon, economic challenges and the role of traditional dairy products, Foods 14(17):3115, doi:10.3390/foods14173115paper
  4. [nehme2019] Nehme L., Salameh C., Tabet E., Nehme M., Hosri C. 2019, Innovative improvement of Shanklish cheese production in Lebanon, International Dairy Journal 90:23–27, doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2018.10.005 (abstract)paper
  5. [esen2021] Esen Y., Çetin B. 2021, Bacterial and yeast microbial diversity of the ripened traditional middle east surk cheese, International Dairy Journal 117, doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2021.105004 (abstract; 27 market samples)paper