Traditionally, Arab yogurts were made in springtime from sheep’s milk and preserved through salting or drying, resulting in either jameed (blocks of dried salted yogurt) or kishek (a powder made of yogurt mixed with bulgur, left out to dry then ground). This process made yogurt a very sour and salty ingredient with a distinct fermented flavor. While both those ingredients are still used today to make traditional dishes like mansaf, the ready availability of fresh yogurt year round, and its more mild flavor, mean people will more often than not opt for the easier-to-use fresh variety for day-to-day meals like this one.
When fresh yogurt is cooked and the whey evaporates, its acidity becomes more pronounced. This plays nicely with fried garlic, which is added off-heat for a sauce that’s extremely pungent and creamy. It’s a combination is reminiscent of those traditional fermented flavors, but definitely more palatable for the uninitiated.
