Hello my beautiful Greeks at heart,
Since it’s the holidays, let’s take a small break from grammar and vocabulary and do something I know many of you love: Greek food! Today, I want to show you how to make trahana, one of my favourite comfort foods.
What is Trahanas?
I’m certain that a lot of you are now wondering, what is this trahana thingy?
Trahanas is not something you usually find in tavernas and it’s mostly a winter dish cooked at home.
So, if you’ve travelled to Greece and never tried it, don’t feel bad. But if you have, let me know in the comments. I’m curious how many of you already know it.
So, trahanas, (ο) τραχανάς in Greek, is one of the oldest foods of the Eastern Mediterranean. It has been part of Greek cuisine for centuries and Greeks love it. If you want to taste something really traditional, this is it! It’s not only one of the oldest foods but it is so easy to make that is considered one of the oldest fast foods. Fast but…healthy
A Traditonal Greek Comfort Food
Trahanas or tarhanas, is a small, grain-based product, usually made with semolina, wheat flour, bulgur or cracked wheat. Milk, buttermilk, or yogurt is mixed with the grain, then dried and crumbled. You can find it in two versions, sour which is made with yogurt or buttermilk and sweet which is made with whole milk. You can also find vegan trahana, made with vegetable pulp instead of dairy.
Apart from being the absolute Greek comfort food, it is also considered to be a super food.
Trahanas is very nutritious. It provides energy through complex carbohydrates, contains fiber and offers good quality protein. Thanks to the dairy used in its preparation, it also supplies calcium and other important nutrients. That’s why it’s been considered a good, filling food for both adults and children.
I recently read that Antonia Trichopoulou, a professor of medicine at the University of Athens, has suggested trahanas even as a breakfast option for children. And this is not something new. Greeks mostly in villages, used to eat trahana for breakfast. And yes, you can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Trahanas is also versatile. You can eat it as a soup or in a thicker version as porridge You can eat it plain or add various ingredients to it. The possibilities are endless! Think of it as a blank canvas you can adapt to your taste.
My Favorite Ways to Eat Trahana
I usually eat it in two ways.
One is as a soup with tomato juice, finished with an egg gently cooked (like poached) at the end. The other is the version I’m sharing today, mainly because I made it and took photos.
If you want the tomato version too, tell me in the comments and I’ll share it next time I make it.
My recipe
White trahanas with feta and bacon
If you don’t have access to Greek shops, you can find here sour trahanas and here sweet trahanas.
Ingredients
1/2 cup of trahanas (sweet or sour)
2 1/2 cup of water or milk
20 gr of butter
Optional toppings: feta, bacon, croutons, pepper.
You can use either milk or water and either sweet or sour trahanas.
I personally prefer sour trahanas cooked in water.
This version is not meant to be soupy. We want it thick.
Instructions
1. In a small pot, add the water (or milk) and the butter and bring it to a boil.
2. Once it starts boiling, add the trahanas. Lower the heat and cook for about 15 minutes,
stirring often.
3. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
Well, actually you can eat it at this stage by adding some salt and pepper.
The plate looks like this
But I added some crumbled feta cheese. How Greek would I be if I didn’t put feta in everything?
And a little bit of pepper. No need to add salt if you have put feta. It’s salty enough.
And then I added some very Greek bacon. I’ve just toasted it lightly and cut it into small pieces.
And for the final touch I added a few croutons. No recipe for that. I just bought them from the supermarket.
Tada! This is the final plate.
And that’s it!
It’s super easy to make and as I’ve already told you, you can let your imagination free and add whatever ingredients you like! It’s so tasty and super healthy (ok, except from the baycon part) that once you make it, you’ll probably want it again and again.
Καλή (μου) όρεξη!
Related Articles
And before you go, if you enjoy Greek cooking, you might also like:
– Easy Greek Beef Stew in Tomato Sauce Recipe
– My 10 Best Greek Foods & How to Order Them
– Greek Food Vocabulary You’ll Actually Use!
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