What is Tarhana?

Tarhana is a traditional meal in Turkish cuisine that refers to a dough or powder made with various vegetables, spices, yeast and yogurt. The name can refer to a real powder or the dough itself, as well as soup made with a dough or powder and adding boiling water. Created as a way of protecting food from the invention of refrigerators and other methods of safe food storage, this is actually one of the oldest instant soups. The Tarhana mixture can be purchased from food stores, especially those that focus on Turkish food or made at home. Creating this mixture is quite simple, albeit a little time consuming because of the fact that it is allowed to ferment. This process usually begins with the selection of vegetables and spices that will be used in dough or powder.

Tarhana dough usually begins with pepper, tomatoes and onions that are all chopped with a kitchen robot. Yeasts are often used to help in the fermentation of tarhany, and this has usually flourished in warm water, often with a little sugar that help feed yeast. Kloomed yeasts are added to a mixture of vegetables along with various spices. Common herbs and spices used in Tarhana include thyme, mint, oregano, dill and pepper.

Yogurt with live cultures is then added to the Tarhana mixture. Live cultures and yeasts are used to create fermentation and prevent bacteria in the body. Some recipes require the use of kefir or "sour milk", although it is not always easy to find and yeast and yogurt work as well. The flour is then added slowly to the dough because it is mixed and kneaded until the dough is solid, at this point it is placed in a bowl and covered.

dough is then left to ferment in a bowl for several days, kneaded once dailyand can then be dried in the sun for several days or stored in the freezer. The Tarhana dough will maintain months, especially in the refrigerator or freezer, and if dried, it can be stored in a cold dry place in an airtight container. To prepare as a soup, a small amount of dough is placed in the pan, to which it is added and mixed with boiling water to reconstruct, and then the chicken stock added and let it boil until the right, strong consistency.