Orthodox Christians fast for about half the days of the year. There are variations and exceptions, but for the most part that means we eat simply, abstaining from animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, fish), as well as wine and olive oil. If you’ve been a practicing Orthodox Christian for very long, you’re probably familiar with cooking without these things.
But newly-Orthodox friends keep asking me “…so what can we eat during Lent!?” So I decided to start a site about how good food can be during the Great Fast.
I realize the point of the Fast isn’t to make mealtime a source of unending delight.
But many of us have families to feed. And some folks I know are cooking for a non-Orthodox spouse, who never signed up for fasting. Single people can live on peanut butter alone, but members of our families grow dissatisfied if we keep serving them beans-and-rice, spaghetti-and-thin-sauce, and tofu of the day.
And, as many of us can attest, fake foods (often soy-based, and usually full of chemicals) are as unsatisfying as they are expensive.
But within the boundaries of the fast, there is a lot of perfectly good, filling, satisfying – and delicious food.
So, welcome! Click around, download or print anything you like, and post about your results in the Comments! Are you a cook? Share your favorite fasting recipes!
And let me know if anything can be made better – your comments and suggestions are welcome!
In Christ,