If you have spent any time in Greece, chances are you’re familiar with Trahana, tiny hard dry pasta with a coarse, uneven nugget-like texture used in traditional soups of the same name, porridges, savory pies, stews and more! Some scholars believe that a gruel made with trahana was used to fortify troops in ancient Greece and Rome, while others attribute its origins to ancient Persia. Today, trahana (also known as “tarhana”) is a popular culinary ingredient in classic Mediterranean Southeastern European and Middle Eastern cuisine. Originally used as a means to also preserve milk, sweet trahana is made with milk. At Vlaha, we have taken the labor-intensive work out of making homemade trahana for you! Our Sweet Trahana is a fermented dough pasta made with Durum wheat semolina, milk, butter and salt. To make this special dough, we use the same painstaking techniques that generations of grandmothers have used for millennia! Trahana is typically cooked like pasta: boiled in water, veggie, chicken or beef stock and classically served as a porridge or in a thick winter soup known as “Trahanosoupa,” with butter, sautéed onions, fresh lemon juice and tangy Feta. This special pasta can also be used in traditional Greek stuffed peppers filled with sautéed onion, garlic, grated zucchini and eggplant, tomatoes, fresh basil and topped with Feta or as a binder for meatballs bathed in tomato sauce. Each region of Greece has its own special uses for this nutritious and delicious grain: from soups to stews and casseroles to meat, game or snail-filled pies! Vhala Sweet Trahana also makes a delicious warm morning cereal, topped with fresh berries, honey and Greek yogurt. Once you start working with this handmade pasta, you will find many modern applications for this hearty and filing “ancient comfort food”!