A guide to Akawi — the mild, smooth brined cheese of the Middle East. Its gentle flavor, how it's used in sweet and savory dishes, and how to prepare it.
Akawi is a mild, smooth, white brined cheese popular across the Middle East and the Levant — gentle in flavor, pleasantly salty, and wonderfully versatile. From breakfast tables to syrup-soaked desserts, it's a everyday cheese with a surprising range.
What Akawi Is
Akawi (also spelled Ackawi, Akkawi, or Akkaweh) is a soft-to-semi-soft brined cheese traditionally made from cow's milk, though sheep's or goat's milk may be used. Its name is linked to the city of Acre (Akka) in the historic Levant. The cheese is cured in brine, which gives it a salty flavor and helps preserve it. It has a smooth, fairly firm but supple texture and a pale white color.
Flavor and Texture
Akawi is mild, milky, and smooth, with a gentle, clean flavor and a salty edge from its brine. It's less tangy than feta and softer in character, with a pleasant, approachable taste. The texture is smooth and somewhat elastic, firm enough to slice and cube but tender. Because it's stored in brine, it can be quite salty, though the saltiness can be reduced by soaking.
Reducing the Saltiness
Akawi is often quite salty straight from its brine, so a common first step is to soak it in fresh water for a few hours (or longer, changing the water), which draws out excess salt and mellows the flavor. This is especially important when the cheese is destined for desserts or for those who prefer a milder taste. Soaked Akawi becomes gentle and versatile.
Savory Uses
Akawi is a classic table and breakfast cheese, sliced and served with bread, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and za'atar as part of a Levantine breakfast or meze spread. It's used in savory pastries and sandwiches, and its mild flavor makes it a friendly all-purpose cheese. Some versions melt reasonably for cooking.
Sweet Uses
One of Akawi's most distinctive roles is in desserts. After soaking to remove salt, it's used in sweet dishes like knafeh (kunafa) — the famous Middle Eastern dessert of shredded or semolina pastry layered with cheese, baked, and soaked in sweet syrup. The mild, slightly stretchy cheese provides a savory contrast to the sweet syrup and pastry, making it central to these beloved treats.
Pairings
Akawi pairs with the flavors of the Levant: olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, za'atar, and fresh bread on the savory side, and with sweet syrup, pistachios, and pastry in desserts. It fits naturally into both breakfast spreads and the dessert table.
Buying and Storing
Akawi is sold in blocks, usually stored in brine, at Middle Eastern markets. Keep it refrigerated in its brine and use within a couple of weeks. Soak it in fresh water before using if you want to reduce its saltiness, especially for desserts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Akawi taste like?
Mild, milky, and smooth with a salty edge from its brine — gentler and less tangy than feta.
Why soak Akawi in water?
To remove excess salt from the brine, mellowing the flavor, especially when using it in desserts.
Is Akawi used in desserts?
Yes. After soaking, it's used in sweet dishes like knafeh, providing a savory, slightly stretchy contrast to sweet syrup and pastry.