Trahana is a type of ancient wheat product that is used Greece and the eastern Mediterranean to create a deliciously distinctive base for soups and Greek-style pasta dishes.
Made with either semolina, cracked wheat or flour, there are two types of trahana: sweet trahana which is fermented with (usually sheeps' or goats') milk and sour trahana, fermented with soured milk and/ or yoghurt.
One of the oldest foods in the Eastern Mediterranean, trahana was traditionally made in August as an ingenious method of preserving milk for the cold winter months by combining the dairy with the wheat and leaving in the hot summer sun to dry over a few days. Once dried, it was broken into granules and could be stored for months.
Making trahana from scratch is easy for those who are keen, or thanks to a litany of regional artisan producers who keep the tradition alive, you can buy it from your local Greek deli.
This homestyle recipe is made with Olympian Foods' trahana which we found at Lamia Super Deli in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville in Australia - if you haven't yet paid a visit to this iconic treasure trove of a Greek deli, do yourself a favour and go and check it out.
However, we digress! Back to the trahana recipe!
Super easy to make, you will have this dish from the stove top to the table and into hungry mouths in about 30 minutes. We do hope that you enjoy.
Traditional Trahana Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup trahana
4 cups water (or vegetable stock)
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon parsley chopped
3 tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
Olive oil and pepper
Method
- Heat olive oil with garlic
- Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer
- Add wine
- Add water/ stock and bring to the boil
- Add trahanas and cook until tender
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley
- Serve with crumbled feta.
Read also Trahanosoupa Recipe: Trahana Soup with Homemade Trahana and Feta
