While trahanas has its roots in the healthy wheat mash consumed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, it has gone down rather in history among the foods of the poor.
However, trahanas remained an important food for centuries to rural populations because of its high nutritional value and long-lasting attributes.
There are several different types of trahana; a fermented mixture of grain (cracked wheat) and yoghurt or soured milk from sheep, goat and occasionally cow’s milk, boiled and consumed as soup.
The name refers both to the sun-dried dough porridge and to the soup that is made from it, either sweet or sour. Trahana making is a process practiced in Cyprus, Asia Minor, Egypt and many other regions of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, dating back to ancient preservation concepts of the Neolithic era.
Known as xinochondros or trachanas for the Greeks and Cypriots, as tarhana for the Turks, kishk for the Egyptians and kushuk for the Iraquis, trahanas is ideal on a cold winter night, after a long day or when we’re run down by a cold.
The ingredients, the processes and the methods of preparation for use in the local diets are basically similar, although certain differences are important in defining local products as unique to their respective areas.
Trahanas is one of the few foods still prepared traditionally in the villages and towns, mostly by the older women during the dry months of August, September and October.

The flour or crushed grain that is used is usually milled with stones in old mills and packed into textile bags without the addition of preservatives.

The grains are then mixed with eggs and soured milk or yoghurt, which gives this short pasta its distinctive texture. Sometimes it is mixed with vegetable juices and herbs before it goes out to dry.

Traditionally, the porridge was stirred continuously until thick with large wooden spoons to which the women had tied sprigs of wild thyme and fennel. The sprigs helped with the stirring and also imparted more flavour to the preparation. The pot was then left to cool down for several hours until it set firm enough to handle like sticky dough. At this point women in the village were invited to come to the house and help ‘cut’ the trahanas by scooping it out and molding it into long, tube-like cookies.

Each fresh scoop was laid on large reed mats to dry in the sun for two or three days. The trahanas would be rolled over at least twice a day in order to dry out evenly on all sides and was then stored in a cool place (today’s households store trahanas in the freezer) for use throughout the rest of the year.
Commercially, this delicious style of pasta is made available by small rural dairies and deli shops across Australia that import products from Greece and Cyprus. The product is normally packed in polythene bags and sold by the kilo in retail stores.

Trahanas is a great addition to your diet if you prefer food without additives or preservatives – plain, with a few, natural ingredients and made using simple processes.

References: The Origins of Trachanás: Evidence from Cyprus and Ancient Texts, William Woys Weaver, Gastronomica 2:1:41-48 (Winter 2002)
Xinochondros, a traditional product of Crete, Anyfantakis et al. University of Athens (Dairies Department)
‘Byzantine Porridge: Tracta, Trachanas, and Trahana’, Stephen Hill, Anthony Bryer, in Food in Antiquity, eds. John Wilkins, David Harvey, Mike Dobson, F. D. Harvey. Exeter University Press, 1995
Sources: Cooking.nytimes.com/, www.katsouras.com/, www.epicurious.com

 

Classic trahanosoupa

There are two kinds of trahana, the sweet, which is soaked in milk and the sour, which contains yoghurt. The flavours may also vary according to the place of origin and method of drying. Luckily you can find trahana at any Greek deli shop. How to cook it? It’s always best to start with a classic version of trahanosoupa, before you move on to other variations.

Ingredients:

1 cup trahana

4 cups of water or vegetable stock

180g feta cheese, crumbled (this can be replaced by haloumi)

1 cup milk/yoghurt

1 tsp butter

Method:

1. In a water filled pot, and while the pot and while the water is still cold, throw in the trachanas with the butter (alternatively you can use olive oil).

2. Stir well over medium heat, add salt, pepper and butter and boil for 15-20 minutes while stirring.

3. Once the trahanas starts to soften add some milk or yogurt and stir until all ingredients are boiling together.

4. Add more water if you think the soup is too thick and cook for few minutes extra. Five minutes before you turn the heat off add some crumbled cheese. Allow the soup to rest for a couple of minutes before placing it in bowls.

* You can also add more pepper and cheese before serving it. A nice twist would also be to add some fresh tomato puree before the feta, instead of milk.

Puréed veggie trahanosoupa
Sweet and tart flavors marry in this thick, comforting soup made with leeks, carrots, onion and trahana. I like to blend the soup with an immersion blender, which results in a purée with a fair amount of texture. You can make a smoother, more elegant soup if you use a blender and then strain the purée. Trahana has a rustic flavor that goes well here. If you use semolina or flour trahana the mixture will be considerably thicker, so use less; half as much should be fine.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large red or yellow onion, chopped
Salt to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ pound carrots, diced
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed of all sand and chopped
1 1/2 cups sour bulgur trahana
2 quarts vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme or oregano
Freshly ground pepper
Additional olive oil and chopped fresh herbs such as dill, parsley or mint, for garnish
Red pepper flakes or cayenne for garnish (optional)
 
Method:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, 5 to 8 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt, garlic, carrots and leeks. Continue to cook, stirring often, until carrots and leeks are beginning to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add remaining olive oil and stir in trahana. Stir until trahana is coated with oil, about 1 minute, and add stock or water and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender and trahana has fallen apart in the soup and is tender. Taste and adjust salt. Remove and discard bouquet garni.
3. For a coarse purée, use an immersion blender to purée the soup. For a finer purée, transfer, in batches, to a blender or a food processor. If using a blender do not put the top on tight; leave out the center of the lid and cover tightly with a towel. Purée until smooth and if desired, strain. Return to the pot, taste and adjust salt. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
4. Reheat gently and serve, garnishing each serving with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of herbs. If you want spice, sprinkle with red pepper flakes or a little bit of cayenne.
Sour and tangy trahanosoupa
This is just about the simplest dish to make with trahana, yet incredibly satisfying and refreshing as it tastes good both hot and cold. This version of trahana soup is adapted from a recipe in Diane Kochilas’s new cookbook: Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity From the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups sour bulgur trahana
8 cups water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice, strained
6 tablespoons crumbled feta
Plain Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)
Chopped fresh herbs for garnish
Method:
1. In a medium soup pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add trahana. Stir until coated with oil, about 1 minute.
2. Add water or stock and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until trahana is tender and nutty tasting and the broth slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes if using home-made bulgur trahana (if you use semolina or flour trahana the time will only be 8 to 12 minutes and the mixture will be more like a porridge).
3. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Spoon into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil and a tablespoon of crumbled feta. Garnish with plain yogurt if desired and chopped fresh herbs such as mint, parsley or dill.
Mussel and tomato trahanosoupa
This is a traditional Greek and Cypriot dish that has passed from generation to generation, with a double twist. Tomato and seafood, keeping the feta which makes it much tastier and creamy. The trahana mussel soup is perfect if you are after a light, nutritious and a hearty dish.
Ingredients:
5 tbsp. extra-virgin Greek olive oil
½ cup sour or vegetarian trahana
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon boukovo (dried hot red pepper flakes)
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup water
2 cups fresh pureed tomatoes or finely chopped, good-quality canned tomatoes
Pinch of sugar, optional
2 kilos (4 pounds) mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
150 gr. (5 ounces) feta cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, optional
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or shallow pot and warm the trahana, garlic and boukovo, stirring until the garlic turns pale yellow. Add the wine. As soon as it steams up, add the water and tomatoes and cook over moderate heat until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt, white pepper and sugar.
2. Add the mussels, raise heat to high, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until mussels just open wide, 6 to 8 minutes. (Discard any mussels that are unopened after 8 minutes.) Sprinkle with feta and parsley, if desired, and serve immediately.