Name: How to make Trrahana (Trahana Recipe)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: bread (preferably stale, as much as you like); ½ cup trahana mixture; 3 cups water (plus a little to mix the trahana); salt (to taste); 1 tbsp olive oil

What’s up guys and welcome to another recipe on how to make trahana. On today’s recipe, we’re making trahana, which is an Albanian recipe. I’m not really sure how to explain this one, but you make this with dried yogurt.

Trahana is one of my favorite Albanian foods. You combine it with hot water so it makes this sauce, and then you pour it over bread. It takes a little more effort than my usual breakfast, so I make it on the days I’m not lazy.

To make trahana, we are going to need some bread, preferably stale, the trahana mixture and water, plus olive oil and salt. If you like to watch the video recipe better, here is my video.

Where to find trahana

Now you might be wondering where do you find the trahana mixture. Well, there’s a couple of ways. The first one and the best one is to make it yourself, but to make this yourself requires lots of effort and lots of time.

The second best option is to ask some of your relatives in case there is somebody who makes this and is willing to sell it. Homemade trahana tastes much better than store-bought trahana. If you’re in Albania, I would recommend asking some of your aunts and see if they know anybody who makes this and is willing to sell it. Now, if you’re in America, it’s probably impossible to find somebody who makes it here. So the best option is to look in a Turkish or Middle Eastern store, because most probably they’ll have it on their shelves.

What to eat trahana with

I like it in the morning, and I usually like to eat trahana with a couple of pickles.

A glass bowl of trahana over bread with a spoon, and a pickle on the side of the bowl

If you like Albanian breakfasts, my petulla are another one. And if you like bread, you will definitely love this recipe for French toast.

Breakfast Albanian

Trahana

How to make Trrahana (Trahana Recipe)

Trahana is an Albanian dish made from a dried mix of wheat and yogurt. Cook it into a thick sauce and pour it over stale bread with olive oil. One of my favorite Albanian foods, ready in 20 minutes.

Written by Xhulio Tested in my own kitchen

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Servings: 2 people
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Albanian

Cooking for

2 people

Units

As written.

Ingredients

0 of 5 ticked

bread (preferably stale, as much as you like)
½ cup trahana mixture
3 cups water (plus a little to mix the trahana)
salt (to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil

You'll need

Saucepan
Small cup or bowl (to mix the trahana with water)
Bowl (for the bread)
Spoon

Instructions

Boil the water
- Let’s add the water in a saucepan and put it to boil.
- You need
- 3 cups water
Mix the trahana
- While the water is boiling, in a small cup let’s mix together the trahana mixture and some water.
- Make sure to stir it really well.
- You need
- ½ cup trahana mixture
Break the bread
- In a small bowl, let’s start breaking the bread just like in the video.
- You need
- bread
Cook until thick
- As soon as the water starts boiling, we are going to add the mixture that we prepared earlier and some salt.
- Make sure you are continuously stirring, because the trahana tends to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- When we see that the mixture has become thicker and it started to boil, that’s how we know that the trahana is ready to be poured into the bread.
- You need
- salt
Keep stirring, or it sticks.
Pour it over the bread
- Let’s pour the mixture over the bread and then top it off with some olive oil.
- You need
- 1 tbsp olive oil

Questions

Questions about trahana

What is trahana?

Trahana is wheat flour mixed with yogurt or milk, left to ferment, then crumbled and dried. You cook it with water into a thick sauce. In some southern Albanian dialects it’s called trana.

Is trahana the same as Turkish tarhana?

Close, but not quite. The Albanian name comes from the Turkish tarhana. Turkish tarhana usually has vegetables in it too, and Greek trahanas is cracked wheat with fermented milk. Albanian trahana is wheat with yogurt or milk, often with butter.

How do you make trahana from scratch?

Making it yourself is the best way, but it takes lots of effort and lots of time. In Gjirokastër, flour, milk and butter are mixed with a little sourdough and left to ferment for about a week. Then the dough is broken into small pieces and dried completely. It’s made at the end of summer, to last through the winter.

Where can I buy trahana?

In Albania, ask your relatives if they know somebody who makes it and is willing to sell it. In the US, try a Turkish or Middle Eastern store.

How long does trahana take to cook?

About 10 minutes. Once the water boils and the trahana goes in, keep stirring until it gets thick and starts to boil.

What do you eat with trahana?

I usually eat it with a couple of pickles, with olive oil on top. In Gjirokastër it’s also served with butter, white cheese like feta, or paprika.

How do you store trahana?

Keep the dry trahana in a glass jar, or in a cotton bag the way they do in Gjirokastër. It keeps for a long time, because it’s dry and sour. Cooked trahana is best right away, and leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

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How to make Trrahana (Trahana Recipe)

Where to find trahana

What to eat trahana with

How to make Trrahana (Trahana Recipe)

Ingredients

You'll need

Instructions

Boil the water

Mix the trahana

Break the bread

Cook until thick

Pour it over the bread

Rather watch me do it?

Questions about trahana

What else goes on the table

Did you make it?

Show me the inside