Tangör Tan wrote the tarhana, which was prepared and used differently in every corner of Anatolia.
When we say Tarhana, the first thing that comes to mind is a powder mixture that plays alone in the farthest corner of the refrigerator during the winter months. Tarhana, which smells slightly sour yoghurt and that we think it spoiled when its sour smell intensifies, is a super food that we usually don’t focus on in big cities where life flows so fast, but has been consumed for centuries in the Anatolian countryside.
Tarhana is a fermented food that is made all over Anatolia as a winter preparation and produced in traditional ways. It is generally made by mixing flour or wheat with yoghurt and herbal products, turning it into dough and fermenting this dough. However, the production method and the materials in its content differ from region to region. Tarhana production depends on the variety of local products, natural vegetation, climate, animal husbandry and most importantly the traditions, customs and taste of the person making the tarhana. If you go to Devrek district of Zonguldak, you will see that the tarhana produced in Çolakpehlivan village there are different from the tarhana produced in Dedeköylü village, which is three kilometers further away. And even Fatma Teyze’s tarhana and her next-door neighbor Asuman Granny’s tarhana vary.
