Tarhana is one of the oldest known instant soups. Possibly the first of its kind, created centuries ago by the Turks living in Central Asia and then spreading widely.
Combining many foods that have been collected and harvested over the summer, they are then cooked, dried and crushed to create a delicious soup. It is a fermented cereal-based product and can be simply defined as a mixture of yoghurt, cereal flours, yeast, different vegetables, herbs, and spices.
Bread of any description (this being lavaş) is being dried out in a small village street, ready to be crushed into the Tarhana mix.
In the past I have bought tarhana from the village ladies at the market but I have never understood how to make the soup properly. I thought adding water and bringing it slowly to the boil was just about all I had to do. However, I have since been told that it is far tastier to pre-soak it before cooking it.
My friend Kat staying at George House in Faralya managed to catch these two lovely ladies hard at work making Tarhana at the end of the summer. It is necessary to make this whilst the weather is still very hot and the ingredients have the opportunity to really dry out.
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra Aşure cooking gently all day and night
Photo by Kat Kamstra Aşure cooking slowly, needs constant attention as it cooked in such a large cauldron
Photo by Kat Kamstra
Photo by Kat Kamstra
I was served Tarhana Soup by Şerife in Fethiye who makes it every year and hers is also absolutely delicious. It is truly a labour of love. Incredibly time and energy consuming. If you are ever offered some of the dried concoction to make up yourself at a later point, treasure it! It is hard to put a value on it.
The process begins but putting in 5 kg of thick (suzme) yogurt. Lentils are next.
The village womens’ hearts and souls go into this. Each one may slightly differ, believing theirs is the most delicious ever. Generally they are all wonderful and occasionally one will be truly sublime. I have to say Serife’s is that.
Dried beans, chick peas, split peas, bulgur have been added
It is impossible to get one true recipe that stands for all time for the Tarhana base as it can vary quite a bit. It depends on what they have on hand and how they are feeling at the time. If the garlic crop has not been a good one, they might just choose not to put in any at all. Or if their crop of tomatoes is better than usual, they might add more.
Chopped tomatoes, peppers, basil, parsley of vast quantities, purslane and other greens are next
Salt goes last and it’s time to start scrunching
At this point between 1.5 and 2 kg of flour is then mixed in.
It changes colour after the flour has been added
After the mixing process, tarhana dough as they call it, is fermented for up to 10 days and then dried. Both lactic acid bacteria and yeast fermentations occur simultaneously during tarhana production.
Tarhana has a sour and acidic taste with a yeast flavour on top. This not only sounds complex but possibly not very appetising either. However, the two complicated underlying flavours actually work extremely well together and give this soup an undeniably tasty depth.
It is then dollopped out onto a clean sheet and laid in the sun for a few hours before being turned
Turning it over
Once it has sufficiently dried, it is ground by hand and sieved
What cannot be ground finely enough by hand will then be placed in a blender
Since tarhana is a good source of B vitamins, minerals, organic acids, and free amino acids, and since it is a product of lactic acid bacteria and of a yeast fermentation, it can be considered a probiotic food.
Another neighbour dries it in bowls but this takes considerably longer. It is bagged in ‘tulum’ – natural fibre, breathable bags such as calico.
Here’s hoping that you can find some Tarhana soup base and enjoy making it up to suit your palette. I will include instructions on how to make up the soup below. It is important to follow these carefully as by just adding water to the Tarhana mix will not be the same, according to the Tarhana aficionados around here.
- 100g tarhana or the equivalent of a large tea glass (100 ml)
- 1 flat Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup cold water
- 4 cups water, hot or cold
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp thyme (optional)
- 1 tsp dried mint (optional)
- 1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp butter
- ½ tsp red pepper powder
- Place the tarhana into a saucepan with 1 cup cold water
- Stir the tomato paste in well
- Leave it for half an hour to thicken
- Add 4 cups water, heat gently and continue mixing
- Do not leave it at all. It will thicken. Keep stirring.
- Add 100ml milk and stir until it has taken on a nice colour.
- Gently cook for several minutes and then add the garlic, herbs and salt as desired
- In a small pan melt the butter and the red pepper powder
- Allow it to bubble for 30 seconds and then pour on top of the soup in the pan
And here is a recipe with a slightly different method for non-vegetarians.
Photo by Claudia Turgut
Thank you for sharing this. If I ever see this I will try it.
Our former landlord in Dalyan used to make this – it’s deeee-licious. The photography by Kat Kamstra accompanying this post is exquisite.
Fascinating, it’s lovely to see these old ways preserved, can’t wait to try some. Great photos also.
Sounds quite extraordinary would love to try it but making the taharna is certainly a Labour of love you’ll have to do for me one day!!
Love this post and photos, soup sounds delicious.