Tradition That Has Been Living for Years; Tarhana

In the Beyşehir district of Konya, the local people keep the tarhana tradition, which is stated to have been going on for 443 years, alive today. Tarhanas, which are indispensable snack foods of families in the winter months in the district, are left to dry under the sun after they are made. In the district center, where the Tarhana rush is experienced, in front of many houses in villages and towns, in school gardens, on terraces or on the roads, there are fences made of reed. At the head of the tarhanas, which are left to dry in the sun on the fences, family members stand guard to protect them from animals such as birds and cats, respectively. Fatma Karazeybek, one of those who keeps alive the tarhana tradition that has been going on for 443 years in Beyşehir in her house opposite the historical Eşrefoğlu Mosque, rolls up her sleeves for the indispensable tables with the help of her family members with the preparation that starts days in advance for this laborious job that requires a lot of effort, like many families. Karazeybek also stated that they used their special machines for the production of tarhana after boiling and cooking in the cauldrons, and that the tarhanas, which were rolled and shaped, were left to dry in the sun on the cane fences and that they kept constant vigil as family members at their heads. Karazeybek explained that the sparrows damaged the tarhanas dried under the sun the most and that they suffered the most, and that they could not leave the tarhanas all day long for precautions and that they even did their handicrafts at the tarhana. Karazeybek also stated that they consume tarhana, which is at the very corner of the snack tables in the winter months, by frying it on the stove or in the oven and reminded that tarhana making was a tradition from the Ottoman period and that it was a nutrient that soldiers constantly consumed in order to gain strength during the war years. Karazeybek said, "My relative, a doctor at the university, also advises us to eat tarhana all the time and explains that it is an ideal food to prevent bone resorption. That's why we recommend everyone to eat." Karazeybek also stated that the tarhanas collected after drying in the sun are stored in cubes made of soil and can be kept here for two years, "We also store them in cubes. In the winter months, we both eat ourselves and serve them to our guests who come to our home." 

It is rumored that the tarhana tradition, which has been carried out by non-governmental organizations operating in Beyşehir and outside the district for years, remains from the Ottoman period. According to the information transmitted on this subject that has survived to the present day, in 1570, before the Egyptian expedition of the Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim Khan, one of the heroic soldiers he trusted, Beyşehir's Sancak Beyi Karlıoğlu Sinan Bey gave a research task on the construction of a food that would last for a long time, In the boilers established in the İçşehir Neighborhood of Beyşehir, ayran is made from yogurt with high nutritional value and boiled with bulgur. It is said that the construction of the tarhana began at that time. With the discovery of tarhana, it is understood that the product, which does not deteriorate for a month during the expedition period, maintains its durability for a long time by being soaked and eaten again. It is said that the tarhana tradition was kept alive for many years after the heroism of the soldiers who consumed a food that could last for a long time on the battlefields at that time. Beyşehir tarhana has been participating for years for those who go to expatriates. Today, expats have the opportunity to taste this product, which is not abandoned in the region, by hosting the tarhanas sent by their relatives living in the district to their tables in the winter months.