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Fermentation Atlas

Fermented milk from Egypt

Laban rayebلبن رايب

mildly acid soured milk curd; base for karish cheese and mish. Made in 3 steps over 24 h – 4 days. The longest step, leave undisturbed, takes 24 h – 4 days (Systematic review of African traditional ferm…) and runs at 20–25 °C (Systematic review of African traditional ferm…). Streptococcus thermophilus and L. bulgaricus do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step24 h – 4 daysReported[afr26][wp]Leave undisturbed
Temperature20–25 °CReported[afr26][wp]Leave undisturbed
AciditypH 6.7Reported[afr26][wp]Milk directly into sealed earthenware pots (matared)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
raw cow or buffalo milk
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 24 h – 4 days

Start
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pH 6.7

What changes: Milk goes straight into sealed earthenware pots

Step 1 of 3
Milk directly into sealed earthenware pots (matared)
Time
minutes
Unconfirmed
Temperature
body temperature
Unconfirmed
Salt
None given
Acidity
pH 6.7
Reported
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: milk in pot.

Flavour
fresh
Texture
liquid
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

raw flora

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

Variants

  • Laban khadFermented in a goat pelt.
  • Laban zeerFermented in an unglazed zeer pot that holds residue from the previous batch (backslop). Lactococci, Lactobacillus and yeasts (S. cerevisiae, C. kefyr). Base for kishk (wheat plus laban, fermented 24 h, sun-dried; cereal boundary).
  • Goubasha (Sudan)Buffalo laban rayeb plus cream, diluted with water.
  • Rayeb (Tunisia)About 18 h fermentation.

Safety

Raw-milk spontaneous.

History and sources

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

Ancient Egyptian origin is claimed but uncited.

  1. [wp] Wikipedia, Laban rayebwiki
  2. [afr26] Systematic review of African traditional fermented milks (73 studies), Frontiers in Food Science and Technology 2026paper