IN GREEK
τραχανάς
trachanas
dried fermented grain and milk pasta
IN TURKISH
tarhana
tarhana
dried fermented grain and yoghurt soup base
WEAR THE WORD
τραχανάς in blue ink and tarhana in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Persian
- CATEGORY
- Food
- NOTES
- Origin debated; a Persian source (tarkhāna) and a Greek source (τραγανός, crunchy) have both been proposed alongside a Turkic one. Nişanyan says tarhana is borrowed from Persian tarχʷāna, a soup of dried yoghurt.
COMMENTS
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SOURCES
- Nişanyan Sözlük (checked online)
Etymologies are checked against the dictionaries and studies listed. An entry is stamped settled only when both the Greek and the Turkish side have been checked. Research for this ledger was compiled with AI assistance and reviewed by the editors.
HOW TO CITE THIS ENTRY
Gold, K. (ed.) (2026) ‘τραχανάς / tarhana’, entry 084, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/084-trachanas/. Accessed [day month year].