Jameed (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: جميد, literally "hardened") is a

Beduin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and Ar ...

- Jordanian food (mainly the Levant, Iraq, Arabia,

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

) consisting of hard dry laban made from ewe or

goat's milk Goat milk is the milk of domestic goats. Goats produce about 2% of the world's total annual milk supply. Some goats are bred specifically for milk. Goat milk naturally has small, well-emulsified fat globules, which means the cream will stay in ...

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...

is kept in a fine woven

cheesecloth Cheesecloth is a loose-woven gauze-like carded cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking. Grades Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the numb ...

to make a thick

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bac ...

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

is added daily to thicken the yogurt even more and the outside of the yogurt-filled cheesecloth is rinsed with

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

to allow any remaining

whey Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of har ...

to seep through. After a few days of salting the yogurt, it becomes very dense and can be removed from the cheesecloth and shaped into round balls. It is then set to dry for a few days. If it is dried in the sun it becomes

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In th ...

; if it is dried in the shade it remains

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

. It is important that the jameed is dry to the core because any dampness can spoil the preservation process. Jameed is the primary ingredient used to make mansaf, the national dish of

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Origin

It is a well-known way of preserving dairy amongst bedouins in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, southern Syria, southern Iraq. Traditionally,

Bedouins The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and Ar ...

supplied Jordanian markets with jameed and other sheep and goat dairy products. Jameed is used in Jordanian dishes such as fatta, mahashi and mansaf, the latter also being the

national dish A national dish is a culinary dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs that can be ...

. Karak,

is famous for its high-quality jameed. It is used in other Jordanian dishes such as Kousa Mahshi, Kubbeh blabaniyyeh, Mjalaleh, Rashouf, Madgoga and er-Rgage.

Production

Traditionally, jameed was made in late spring and early summer when sheep's milk is most plentiful. The first step was shaking the yogurt in a leather bag made from sheep or goat leather to separate the butter. The leftover buttermilk was then reduced by boiling until it reached a consistency similar to labaneh (thick yogurt). It could then be salted, shaped into balls, and sun-dried. The dried balls could be preserved for months in sealed boxes without refrigeration as they were very low in moisture. Nowadays, people consume jameed for its flavour rather than lack of refrigeration.A Chemical and Microbial Study of Jameed Cheese Produced in Jordan (1991) Yosef H. Tawalbeh\ University of Jordan Supervisor: Dr. Malik S. Haddadin Page 5, http://www.acnut.com/v/images/stories/pdf/journals/25_english.pdf

References

External links

{{Yogurts Arab cuisine Jordanian cuisine Palestinian cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine Yogurt-based dishes

Origin

Production

See also

References

External links