Muğla göce tarhana is a tarhana made from medium-cracked durum wheat (göce), strained bag yoghurt, salt and tarhana herb. It is prepared in summer and dried in the shade as rings. The dried tarhana itself contains no flour, tomato or pepper. In winter the rings are cooked into a soup together with dried black-eyed beans, bone-in meat, dried red pepper and garlic. Since 2019 it has been a registered geographical indication in Türkiye.

Name and registration

The registered name is "Muğla Göce Tarhanası". The Turkish Patent and Trademark Office registered it as an indication of source under number 458. The Muğla Chamber of Commerce and Industry applied on 16 March 2016, and it was registered on 18 September 2019. Its geographical area is the province of Muğla and its districts, which includes Menteşe and Yerkesik. According to the registration, every stage of production must take place in Muğla.

What is it made of?

The recipe in the registration lists:

• 6 kg göce (medium-cracked durum wheat)
• 4 litres of water
• 200 g salt
• 12 kg bag yoghurt
• 10 g tarhana herb

Bag yoghurt is strained yoghurt made by leaving cultured yoghurt in cloth bags for two days. Tarhana herb (Echinophora tenuifolia subsp. sibthorpiana) belongs to the parsley family and gives the soup its own aroma.

How is it made?

The method in the registration is:

1. Salt is added to water and brought to the boil.
2. Tarhana herb wrapped in muslin is left in the boiling water for 5 minutes and removed.
3. The göce is added, cooked for 20 to 25 minutes and taken off the heat.
4. It is stirred, covered and left to rest for 10 minutes.
5. It is spread on trays to cool, kneaded with the bag yoghurt and left to ferment for a day.
6. It is kneaded again and shaped into rings with a hole in the middle (külür or topan).
7. It is dried in the shade until the water content of the finished product is at most 10 percent.

Fermentation time depends on the weather. Local sources say tarhana ferments in one or two days in the August heat but can take up to five or six days in September and October; those who like it sourer let it ferment longer. Sources describe drying it in the shade on fig or vine leaves.

How it differs from other tarhanas

The registration states that Muğla göce tarhana differs from other tarhanas in Türkiye in how it is made and served. Most of the difference is in the ingredients: cracked wheat instead of flour, tarhana herb instead of vegetables, and it is dried in rings rather than as a powder. For comparison, Fethiye tarhana, a separate geographical indication, contains tomato, pepper, onion and mint. Although both come from the same province, one does not replace the other.

How is it cooked?

Dried tarhana becomes a soup together with what is cooked alongside it. According to the registration, the traditional soup contains:

• Muğla göce tarhana
• dried black-eyed beans
• dried red pepper
• bone-in beef or lamb ribs

The bone-in meat gives the soup its marrow and depth. The Muğla Chamber of Commerce and Industry adds garlic and yoghurt, and describes the soup as one of the most cooked dishes in Muğla in autumn and winter.

How is it stored?

Dried tarhana is kept in a closed glass jar or a cloth bag. The registration's inspection requires no mould or yeast, a water content of no more than 10 percent, salt of at most 10 percent and protein of at least 12 percent in dry matter. A board coordinated by the Muğla Chamber of Commerce and Industry inspects it once a year.

Our cooperative's göce tarhana

YerKoop göce tarhana is made with karakılçık wheat, strained yoghurt from Montafon cow milk, and salt. The 300 g pack holds 7 tarhana rings (topan), plus 50 g of black-eyed beans and 1 red pepper for the soup. Plan on one ring per person.

To cook it:

1. Put the tarhana, beans and red pepper in a pot.
2. Add water until it stands three to four fingers above them.
3. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then so it does not form lumps.
4. Add water if needed to adjust the thickness.
5. Finally add crushed garlic, salt and butter, and boil for 2 more minutes.

You can find the price and how to buy it on the product page.

Sources

1. TÜRKPATENT, Muğla Göce Tarhanası coğrafi işaret sicil belgesi (No. 458)
2. TÜRKPATENT Coğrafi İşaret Portalı, Muğla Göce Tarhanası
3. Muğla Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası, Muğla Göce Tarhanası tescillendi
4. Gazete Muğla, Muğla göce tarhanası (28.06.2020)
5. Marmaris Manşet, Muğlalıların kış aylarındaki vazgeçilmez lezzeti (26.12.2024)
6. Fethiye Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası, Fethiye Tarhanası coğrafi işaretle tescillendi