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 Tarhana sold at a local store inKozan, Adana | |
| Type | Soup |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Grain,yoghurt orfermented milk |
Tarhana is a dried food ingredient, based on afermented mixture of grain andyogurt orfermented milk, found inCentral Asian,Southeast European, andMiddle Eastern cuisines. Dry tarhana has a texture of coarse, uneven crumbs, and it is usually made into a thicksoup with water, stock, or milk. As it is both acidic and low in moisture, the milk proteins keep for long periods. Tarhana is very similar to some kinds ofkashk.
Regional variations of the name includeArmenianթարխանա (tarkhana);Greekτραχανάς (trahanás) orξυνόχονδρος (xynohondros);Persianترخینه، ترخانه، ترخوانه (tarkhineh, tarkhāneh, tarkhwāneh);Kurdishtarxane;Albaniantrahana ortërhana;Bulgarianтрахана orтархана (trahana, tarhana);Serbo-Croatiantarana,tarhana ortrahana;Hungariantarhonya;Turkishtarhana.
TheArmeniantarkhana is made up ofmatzoon and eggs mixed with equal amounts of wheat flour and starch. Small pieces of dough are prepared and dried and then kept in glass containers and used mostly in soups, dissolving in hot liquids.[1] TheGreektrahanas contains onlycracked wheat or acouscous-like paste andfermented milk. TheTurkishtarhana consists of cracked wheat (or flour), yoghurt, and vegetables, fermented and then dried. InCyprus, it is considered a national specialty, and is often served with pieces ofhalloumi cheese in it. InAlbania it is prepared with wheat, yoghurt and butter, and served with hotolive oil andfeta cheese.
Hill and Bryer suggest that the termtarhana is related toGreek τρακτόν (trakton,romanized astractum),[2] a thickenerApicius wrote about in the 1st century CE which most other authors consider to be a sort of cracker crumb.[3] Dalby (1996) connects it to the Greek τραγός/τραγανός (tragos/traganos),[4] described (and condemned) inGalen'sGeoponica 3.8.[5] Weaver (2002) also considers it of Western origin.[6]
Perry, on the other hand, considers that the phonetic evolution of τραγανός totarhana is unlikely, and that it probably comes fromPersian:ترخوانه,romanized: tarkhwāneh.[7] He considers the resemblance to τραγανός and to τραχύς 'coarse' coincidental, though he speculates that τραχύς may have influenced the word byfolk etymology.
In Persian language sources,al-Zamakhshari mentioned the name of this food in the 11th century in the formtarkhana in his dictionary; it is attested in the 17th century in the formtarkhina in theFarhang-i Jahangiri, a Persian dictionary created under the reign ofJahangir.Tarتر in Persian means 'wet, soaked', andkhwānخوان (pronouncedkhān) means 'dining place/table, food, large wooden bowl'. Thus in Persian it would mean 'watered or soaked food', which matches the way the soup is made: tarhana must be soaked in water, and other possible ingredients are then added and cooked for some time.
Tarhana is made by mixing flour, yoghurt or sour milk, and optionally cooked vegetables, salt,groats, and spices (notablytarhana herb), letting the mixture ferment, then drying, and usually grinding and sieving the result. The fermentation produceslactic acid and other compounds giving tarhana its characteristic sour taste and good keeping properties: the pH is lowered to 3.4–4.2, and the drying step reduces the moisture content to 6–10%, resulting in a medium inhospitable topathogens andspoilage organisms, while preserving the milkproteins.[8]
Tarhana is cooked as a thick soup by adding it to stock, water, or milk, and simmering. Alternatively, it may be fried and then cooked in only as much liquid as it will absorb.[9]
InAlbania, it is made with wheat flour and yoghurt into small pasta-like chunks which are dried and crushed; the powder is used to cook a soup which is served with bread cubes. In Cyprus it is common to add cubes of Halloumi cheese towards the end of cooking.[10]
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