Even a poem has been written about this unique flavor.

Tarhana tartarIt breaks my heartSweet soup (Baklava, brother)Come save meFlirtatious things are distributed from home to neighbor.But the children's soles still swell.Tarhana is eaten until their stomachs burst,When it dries, it is taken to the barn,A day or two of labor.But it will last for months, a thousand and one different dishes.So, making tarhana is that difficult.

A Brief History of Kahramanmaras Tarhana

Known to have been made since the Dulkadir Principality, the Kahramanmaras tarhana has a distinct characteristic. According to the people of Kahramanmaras, tarhana is a winter grain. Made by cooking peeled wheat (wheat) like pilaf, cooling it down, mixing it with yogurt, and spreading it over raw food, Kahramanmaras tarhana is long-lasting and does not spoil easily. Its long shelf life makes it easy to consume in sufficient quantities when needed. Furthermore, because yogurt and wheat are rich in protein and starch, tarhana is very nutritious.Tarhana was made during the Dulkadir Principality. It is rumored that Yavuz carried tarhana as a supply during his Egyptian campaign.However, this matter has not yet been definitively established. Research is ongoing. During his Egyptian campaign, Yavuz passed through Elbistan and received supplies such as bread flour, rusks, and meat, as well as barley, grass, and straw for the animals. However, tarhana was not among the supplies. However, because Yavuz Sultan Selim's mother, Ayse Hatun (Gülbahar Sultan), was from Kahramanmaras, Stanly Keer, in his work The Lions of Marash, describes in detail how tarhana, made with a mixture of yogurt and wheat rice, was spread on the dews in Kahramanmaras during the summer months, and the sweet scent of tarhana wafted through the city with the breeze blowing after midday.

How to Make Tarhana Soup with Turnips:

Kahramanmaras tarhana is made into a soup and consumed. However, adding turnips to this soup gives it a distinct taste and flavor. The preparation of the soup is as follows: Soak the tarhana in a pot of cold water overnight. In the morning, stir in the chickpeas, which have been soaked in water for twelve hours. Add enough salt and finely chopped peeled turnips, and cook on the stove. Keep a pot of hot water on hand to add more water as the soup thickens as it boils. Continue cooking until the crushed garlic is completely dissolved. Once the soup is cooked, pour melted oil with mint over it, and crush a few cloves of garlic and stir. Tarhana soup, a blend of thyme, mint, black cumin, garlic, and turnip juice, is ready to serve.

Bu essiz lezzete siir bile yazilmistir.

Tarhana tartarGamimi yirtarEskili çorba (Baklava gardas)Gel beni kurtarEvden, komsu komsu dagitilir firikler.Ama yine çocuklarin tabani siser.Karinlar patlayana kadar yenir tarhana,Kuruyunca indirilir ambara,Bir iki günlük emek.Ama aylarca sürecek, bin bir çesit yemek.Tarhana yapilmasi bu kadar zormus demek.

Kahramanmaras Tarhanasinin Kisaca Tarihi

Dulkadir Beyliginden beri yapildigi bilinen, Kahramanmaras'a ait yapilan tarhananin ayri bir özelligi bulunmaktadir. Kahramanmaraslilara göre tarhana kislik zahiredir. Kabugu soyulmus bugdayin(dövme) pilav seklinde pisirilip sogumasindan sonra, yogurtla karistirilip, çig üzerine serilerek kurtulan Kahramanmaras tarhanasi uzun ömürlü olup kolay kolay bozulmaz. Onun uzun ömürlü olmasi ihtiyaç aninda yeteri kadar tüketilmesini kolaylastir. Ayrica yogurt ve dögme protein ve nisasta bakimindan zengin oldugundan tarhana çok besleyicidir.Tarhana, Dulkadir Beyligi zamaninda yapiliyordu. Yavuzun Misir seferine giderken tarhanayi ikmal maddesi olarak bulundurdugu rivayet edilmektedir.Fakat bu konu , henüz kesinlik kazanmamistir. Arastirmaya devam edilmektedir. Misir seferinde, Yavuz Elbistan'dan geçmis ve ikmal maddesi olarak ekmeklik un, peksimet ve et gibi yiyeceklerle hayvanlara arpa , ot ve saman maddeler temin edilmistir. Ancak ikmal maddeleri içinde tarhana bulunmamaktadir. Oysa Yavuz Sultan Selim annesi Ayse Hatun(Gülbahar Sultan)'un Kahramanmarasli olmasi dolayisi ile Stanly Keer The Lions Of Marash adli eserinde Kahramanmaras'ta yaz mevsiminde yogurt ve dövme pilavinin karisimi ile yapilan tarhananin çiglere serildigini ikindi vaktinden sonra esen rüzgarla mis gibi kokan tarhana kokusunu sehre yayildigini ayrintili bir sekilde anlatmaktadir.

Salgamli Tarhana Çorbasi Yapimi:

Kahramanmaras tarhanasindan çorba yapilarak içilir. Fakat bu çorbanin içine salgam ilave edilirse çorbaya ayri bir tat ve rayiha verir. Çorbanin yapilisi söyledir: tarhana aksamdan bir tencere içine islatilarak soguk suda bekletilir. Sabahleyin içine on iki saat önce suda islatilarak bekletilen nohut karistirilir. Yeteri kadar tuz ve kabugu soyularak ince ince dogranan salgam ilave edilip ocakta pisirilir. Kaynadikça katilasan çorbaya, su ilave etmek için bir tarafta hazir sicak su bulundurulur. Çorba dögme taneleri iyice eriyinceye kadar pisirilmeye devam edilir. Çorba pistikten sonra üzerine naneli eritilmis yag dökülür ve içine birkaç bas sarimsak ezilerek karistirilir. Üzerine naneli yag dökülmüs ve sarimsak ilave edilmis, kekik, nane çörekotu, sarimsak kokulu ve salgam karisimi tarhana çorbasi servise hazirdir.