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Sweet Trahana

The basis of so many delicious Greek dishes starts with sweet trahana. Here's how to make it!

Course: dinner
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: trahana, wheat
Ingredients
  • 1 kg whole-wheat kernels (also called wheat berries)
  • 2 L whole milk
Instructions
Preparing the sweet trahana

  1. Grind the whole wheat kernels using a larger coffee grinder or Thermomix – aim fora finer grind – see video

  2. Heat the milk in a large pot on medium-high heat

  3. When the milk just reaches boiling, add the ground wheat slowly, while stirring continuously

  4. Continue boiling and stirring until all the milk has been absorbed and the mixture thickens

  5. Take it off heat and place a clean dry tea-towel on top

  6. Allow the “trahana porridge” to cool completely

  7. Place a table out in the direct sun – lay a clean table cloth on top

  8. Break the “trahana porridge”into cherry-sized chunks and lay them out on the table-cloth

  9. Lay a mesh/tulle food cover over the trahana chunks

  10. Leave out in the sun for 2-3days – until the trahana chunks are bone-dry (Note: Place table with trahana in a safe place at night – away from hungry nocturnal animals)

  11. If you prefer the trahana chunky, then, when it has completely dried out – place it in a jar to store for later use

  12. If you prefer finer trahana, then pulse batches of the dried trahana in a food processor a few times

  13. 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

  14. 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 – lower 30s are best.
  • Ground whole wheat is also called kibbled wheat
  • If you don’t have a powerful grinder, you can purchase kibbled wheat instead or if you are local to Oakleigh in Melbourne, the Squirrel’s Den sells whole wheat and they can grind it for you!
  • Trahana can then be used for soups, stews, pites or in dishes like Paspaliara 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 – see Eleni’s @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 – fat, protein, calcium – 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.