Production of Al Jameed

drying JameedProduction of Al Jameed (dried fermented yogurt)
Jordanian Jameed, made from the milk of goats or sheep, is one of the main yogurt sauces for many of the traditional dishes. It is used in any dish that has yogurt sauce as one of its main ingredients. The sauce is thick and has lovable taste. It is served as a liquid sauce and is called Jameed because it is produced in the form of stone hard balls or other shapes by straining the heated buttermilk on cloth mesh bags, salting the formed paste by kneading and drying in the sun. It is mostly produced in desert areas because of the great numbers of sheep there.
It is one of the most important dairy products in Jordan and it can be stored for several years. It is cooked with meat for preparing “Al Mansaf” the most famous traditional dish in Jordan.
Method of production:
The buttermilk is placed in canvas bags and left for a period of four or five days to be strained out of water. The resulted paste is mixed with salt and is formed in certain shapes either balls or cubes. These balls or cubes are placed on a wooden board and covered with a piece of cloth to protect the jameed from dirt and dust. Finally, they are left in the sun for a number of days until they become like stone and ready to be used for cooking.