Tarhana is a dried food made from a fermented mixture of grain and yoghurt or fermented milk, found across Central Asian, Southeast European and Middle Eastern cuisines. In its dry state, it appears as coarse, uneven crumbs, later cooked into a thick soup with water, stock or milk. Its acidity and low moisture content allow milk proteins to keep for long periods, making it comparable to related preserved foods such as kashk. Variations of the name include Greek trahanás or xynohondros, Turkish tarhana, Armenian tarkhana and Persian tarkhineh or tarkhwāneh, reflecting the breadth of its cultural presence.
The method of preparation follows a consistent logic. Flour is mixed with yoghurt or sour milk, sometimes with cooked vegetables, salt, groats and spices, notably tarhana herb. The mixture is left to ferment, then dried and usually ground and sieved. Fermentation produces lactic acid and other compounds that give tarhana its sour taste and its durability, while drying reduces moisture to 6-10 per cent. This combination creates an environment inhospitable to pathogens and spoilage organisms while preserving milk proteins. When used, tarhana is simmered in water, stock or milk until thick, or fried before absorbing a limited amount of liquid.
Regional variations adapt this process to local needs. Armenian tarkhana combines matzoon and eggs with wheat flour and starch, dried into small pieces for soups. Greek trahanas uses cracked wheat or a couscous-like paste with fermented milk. Turkish tarhana incorporates vegetables into cracked wheat or flour and yoghurt before fermentation. In Cyprus it is considered a national speciality and is often served with cubes of halloumi cheese added towards the end of cooking.
The origins of tarhana lie in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean, with possible roots in Persia or among Greek and Roman soldiers. A connection has been suggested to tractum, a thickener described by Apicius in the 1st century CE, while Persian sources record the dish from the 11th century onwards. The oldest physical evidence comes from archaeological excavations at Archontiko in northern Greece, linking trahanas to prehistoric fermented grain-dairy mixtures. From there it spread through trade, nomadic Turkish groups and Arab influences such as kishk.
In Cyprus, trahanas became deeply embedded in local life under Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman rule. During Venetian control of the island, monasteries were subject to strict grain quotas. In 1553, Kykkos Monastery in the Troodos mountains petitioned Venetian authorities for wheat specifically to produce trahanas rather than bread, a request recorded by the historian Florio Bustron, who also noted its production alongside halloumi in 1554. This choice reflected its value as a fermented staple: dried, portable, nutritionally complete and suited to fasting, isolation and long winters.
Today trahanas soup is eaten year-round in Cyprus, particularly in winter, as a light meal, a restorative food after illness, or during communal occasions such as Holy Saturday night.
