Arabic & Levantine Pantry Guide
Nabulsi Cheese: Palestinian Brined Cheese with Mahlab, Mastic and Nigella Seeds
Nabulsi is a semi-hard white brined cheese originating from the Palestinian city of Nablus, traditionally made from sheep's milk and boiled in brine perfumed with mahlab, mastic gum and black nigella seeds. Once desalted in water, it melts with a legendary stretchy pull, making it the quintessential cheese for Kunafa Nabulsiyeh.
Boiled Curds Perfumed with Mahlab and Mastic
Named after the historic city of Nablus, this cheese is a staple across Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. After coagulating the milk and pressing the curds into flat squares, the cheese blocks are simmered in a concentrated salt brine infused with a spice pouch of crushed mahlab and mastic tears, then speckled with black nigella seeds. Boiling sets the protein structure so the cheese keeps for months in brine while absorbing a delicate floral-resinous aroma.
How to Desalt Nabulsi Cheese for Cooking and Desserts
Because Nabulsi cheese is preserved in heavy salt brine, it is far too salty to use straight from the tin or packet in sweet pastries. To prepare it for kunafa or qatayef, slice the cheese thinly and soak it in a bowl of cold water for four to six hours, changing the water every hour until a tasted corner is completely sweet and mild. Once drained and patted dry, the cheese is ready to shred and melt.
At Breakfast and Inside Kunafa Nabulsiyeh
For breakfast, lightly soaked Nabulsi cheese is eaten fresh with flatbread, tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet tea, dipped briefly into hot water until soft and stretchy, or pan-fried in olive oil or ghee to a golden crust like halloumi. In pastry shops, fully desalted Nabulsi cheese forms the thick, molten, stringy heart of Nablus-style kunafa, sweet cheese qatayef and halawet el-jibn.