Greek Recipes
Sweet Greek Trahana Recipe
What is trahana? How do we make it? Why do we make it? And how do we use it?
Watch this video for a little Trahana 101 and a āhow toā for making Sweet Trahana!
Sweet Greek Trahana Recipe
The basis of so many delicious Greek dishes starts with sweet trahana. Here's how to make it!
Ingredients
- 1 kg whole-wheat kernels (also called wheat berries)
- 2 L whole milk
Instructions
Preparing the sweet trahana
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Grind the whole wheat kernels using a larger coffee grinder or Thermomix ā aim fora finer grind ā see video
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Heat the milk in a large pot on medium-high heat
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When the milk just reaches boiling, add the ground wheat slowly, while stirring continuously
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Continue boiling and stirring until all the milk has been absorbed and the mixture thickens
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Take it off heat and place a clean dry tea-towel on top
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Allow the ātrahana porridgeā to cool completely
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Place a table out in the direct sun ā lay a clean table cloth on top
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Break the ātrahana porridgeāinto cherry-sized chunks and lay them out on the table-cloth
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Lay a mesh/tulle food cover over the trahana chunks
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Leave out in the sun for 2-3days ā until the trahana chunks are bone-dry (Note: Place table with trahana in a safe place at night ā away from hungry nocturnal animals)
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If you prefer the trahana chunky, then, when it has completely dried out ā place it in a jar to store for later use
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If you prefer finer trahana, then pulse batches of the dried trahana in a food processor a few times
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Return the trahana to the table outside in direct sunlight, again covering it with mesh/tulle cover and leave itout for 1-2 days to dry further
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Store in a jar for later use
Recipe Video
Key Points
- It is important to check the long-range weather forecast before making trahana. You will need 4-5 consecutive days of hot, dry, sunny weather to make it. Temperatures in the upper 20s ā lower 30s are best.
- Ground whole wheat is also called kibbled wheat
- If you donāt have a powerful grinder, you can purchase kibbled wheat instead or if you are local to Oakleigh in Melbourne, the Squirrelās Den sells whole wheat and they can grind it for you!
- Trahana can then be used for soups, stews or added to pites to absorb liquids released from other ingredients
- Burghul/bulghur is made using exactly the same preparation and process, except the ground wheat is boiled in water rather than milk
- Sour trahana also follows the same process as sweet trahana, except fermented milk and/or fermented yoghurt is used to boil the ground wheat ā see Eleniās @myfamilysfooddiary recipe
- Trahana made from whole-wheat and milk products are super foods. Whole-wheat has protein, fibre, complex-carbohydrates. When these combine with the nutritional values of dairy ā fat, protein, calcium ā they create a nutritionally dense and deeply satiating food.
- This trahana made from whole-wheat is different from pasta-trahana which is made with regular plain flour and either regular milk or fermented milk and/or fermented yoghurt. Pasta-trahana is made with regular milk or fermented milk/yoghurt. Again, the pasta-trahana made with fermented milk/yoghurt will have a sour finish.
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