Tarhana Çorbası

Tarhana çorbası is a Turkish soup made from tarhana, a dried mixture of yoghurt, flour and vegetables. It is a home soup of Turkey, and families make tarhana in their own way, so the flavour ranges from mild to very sour.

What it really is

Tarhana is made by mixing flour with yoghurt and cooked vegetables such as tomato and red pepper, then leaving the mixture to ferment. It is dried and broken into coarse granules that store well. To make the soup, the tarhana is stirred into water or stock and simmered until it thickens into a smooth, porridge-like broth. Onion is softened in butter, and dried mint is added at the end, which gives the soup its sour, savoury taste.

Tarhana is a soup, not a paste or a bread. The dry mix is only the starting point, and the finished bowl is soft, tangy and warm. Recipes differ in how sour they are and how much vegetable goes in.

How it's served

• Hot, in a bowl, as a starter before a main course.
• Finished with melted butter and dried mint, which are the usual final touches.
• With bread on the side, which is the common accompaniment.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it as tarhana soup and say it is made from a dried yoghurt and flour mix, so guests know it is sour and thick.
• Flag wheat, from the flour in the tarhana, and milk, from the yoghurt and butter.
• Say whether the soup is made with meat stock. Ask the kitchen and state the answer, because the classic home version is often made with water.
• If you serve bread with it, flag wheat again.