Naboulsi cheese

Nabulsi (or naboulsi) is one of a number of white brined cheeses made in the Middle East. Its name denotes its place of origin, Nablus, and it is well-known throughout the West Bank and surrounding regions. It is the principal cheese consumed in Jordan. Produced primarily from sheep milk, goat's milk is also used. Nabulsi cheese is white and rectangular in shape. It is semi-hard with no gas holes. It becomes soft and elastic when heated. It is a typical ewe's or goat's milk cheese, but is traditionally flavored with mahlab (Prunus mahaleb) and mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) added to the boiling brine. It is can be eaten fresh as salty table cheese or can be fried in oil, and it is also a major ingredient of the Palestinian dessert knafeh.