Trahana soup is one of the two most favorite Cypriot winter soups.  Together with the egg and lemon soup, this duo can be found in many homes during the cold winter months.  However, Trachanas is made in the summer, in large heavy pots and boiled in sheep sour milk, after finely chopped wheat is stirred in or as stated in the Cypriot dialect ‘konari’.  It is then flavoured with freshly chopped mint, sea salt and garlic and is left to simmer for several hours until it becomes a thick mass.

The housewives would then cut and roll pieces from the mass into cylindrical shapes with a diameter of less than one centimeter and will place the trahana on large trays out in the warm sun until it is completely dried.  The drying process takes about 3-4 days.  Following this procedure the trahana will be stored in containers for future use.

To cook the dried trahana has to be soaked in cold water or broth, where it will crumble, this mixture is placed on a low heat and cooked with chunks of chicken, small pieces of halloumi and finally blended with egg and lemon sauce.  Along with frozen traditional zivania, Trahana soup will keep children and adults warm and happy during winter nights.  Trahana soup has earned a lot of respect and love in recent years from foreigners as many more traditional taverns will offer you their hospitality with a warm bowl of trahana during the winter days.

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