Triftades or triftadia are traditionally prepared with flour and milk or water. The dough is first rubbed and then molded into small pieces like trachana pasta. Triftades are boiled in salted water. When not eaten during lent period, triftades are served with hot oil and grated mizithra.
Triftades have the nutritional value of cereals. More specifically, they are rich in carbohydrates, thus constituting an energy source for the brain and the nervous system. They also contain vitamins from the B group such as pantothenic acid or B5, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin, and minerals (manganese, selenium and magnesium). It is recommended that triftades are eaten with dairy products like mizithra to improve the total biological value of their vegetable protein.