What Can You Eat On Advent (November 28-January 6)

We will tell you what fasting is in a gastronomic context, whether it is so scarce, and how you can diversify the lenten menu.

The phrase "lean food" is a nuisance for many. People are convinced that in fasting they eat only stale bread and drink water, when, for many, it is tasty to eat foods of animal origin, which are called fast in church usage. We will tell you what fasting is in a gastronomic context, whether it is so scarce, and how you can diversify the lenten menu.

Fasting is not essentially a diet; in the Christian Orthodox tradition, it is a time when a person strives to become better spiritually and morally. Denying himself fast food, he does not even indirectly harm living beings and, most importantly, learns to curb his own desires. You can talk for a long time about the theological background of fasting, but as a result, most people fail to limit themselves to eating meat, eggs and milk, very often this happens because of ignorance of what can be prepared from vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, cereals and spices . But in fact, such restrictions only give rise to more inventive variations of familiar dishes.

 

In particular, the Nativity Fast is allowed by the church charter to eat fish (except Wednesday, Friday and the last week before the feast of the Nativity of Christ), which makes it, unlike Great Lent, easier. Its beginning and end are unchanged - November 28 and January 6.

By the way, several traditions and beliefs, little known now, were associated with this period:

On the eve of December 7 (the day of the great martyr Catherine), the young men kept a particularly strict fast in the hope that for their zeal and through the prayers of this holy God, he would send them a kind and faithful wife. On the morning of December 7, the girls cut several branches of cherries and put them in the water. If they bloomed by January 14, then this foreshadowed an imminent marriage. The girls baked kalita - a honey cake, which later became an important element of games at the party. On November 27, before the beginning of the fast, it is customary to feed widows and orphans with meat food and the fruits of the harvest. Sochivo - a dish of grains with honey and dried fruits, in the Christian tradition appeared in memory of the prophet Daniel and three youths who refused pagan food and ate seeds.

Lenten menu may include such delicious dishes, look!

Buckwheat soup with mushrooms

 

Ingredients:

80 g of buckwheat, 100 g of oyster mushrooms or champignons, 1 onion, 4-5 potatoes, 5 g of paprika, 5-8 g of dried herbs (basil, dill, parsley, celery).

Rinse buckwheat, pour 1.5 liters of water and put on fire. Chop the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, then add finely chopped mushrooms, salt them, add paprika and herbs, mix. When they are lightly fried, remove from the stove.

Peel potatoes, cut into cubes and throw in buckwheat when the water starts to boil. After it boils again, salt. Send the roast to the pan after 15 minutes. Cook until potatoes are fully cooked.

Buckwheat and mushrooms are perfectly combined products that will saturate the broth with their taste characteristics.

Borscht with beans

 

You will need:

100 g of red beans, 100 g of cabbage, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 beet, 4 potatoes, 50 g of tomato paste, 100 ml of boiling water, 5 g of celery, 5 g of hot ground pepper, 5 g of dried dill, 5 g of sugar.

Rinse the beans, pour 2.5 liters of water, salt and cook until half cooked. At the same time, when you have to add water, it is better to use cold water, so the beans will become soft faster. But they should not be boiled to a puree-like state, on the contrary, they are still needed slightly firm, but those that can be chewed. Once the beans have acquired the desired texture, it's time to throw in the grated beets and carrots. While the vegetables are cooking, you should chop the onion, fry for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, then sprinkle it with sugar. It will quickly acquire a golden hue, then you need to put tomato, pasta in a pan, pour boiling water and add spices. Thoroughly mix the sauce and simmer over low heat for 10-12 minutes.

Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and send to the pan after the beets have almost lost their color. Boil until the root is ready, then add chopped cabbage, check the broth for salt. By this time, the beans should already be fully cooked. If it is ready, then pour in the sauce, mix, leave to simmer over low heat. After 10 minutes, put it out, cover the pan with a lid and let it brew for half an hour.

fish cakes

 

Ingredients:

0.5 kg of minced fish, 100 g of flour, 100 ml of boiling water, 50 g of oatmeal, 2 cloves of garlic, 5-7 g of paprika, black pepper, dried celery, dill, oregano, 10 g of salt, breadcrumbs.

Defrost the minced meat completely (without pouring hot water or using a microwave oven). Mix the flakes with all herbs and spices, excluding salt and garlic. Then pour boiling water over and cover with a lid or plate to steam the porridge. It, thanks to the secreted starchy mucus, is an excellent substitute for a raw egg that binds all the ingredients. After 10 minutes, mix with minced fish, add flour, crushed garlic and salt. Mix thoroughly. From the resulting mass, with wet hands, sculpt large, but flat cutlets (minced fish is more difficult to fry than meat). Roll them in breadcrumbs and fry in vegetable oil on both sides.

Lean chocolate mousse

 

For mousse you need:

150 g of dark chocolate without additives, 80 g of semolina, 100 g of sugar, 50 ml of lemon juice.

Grate chocolate. Pour a little more than half a liter of water into the pan. When it boils, pour in the semolina, stirring so that no lumps form. After 3-4 minutes, send most of the chocolate there. After the same amount of time, introduce sugar and lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed). Hold on fire for another 40 seconds, remove and beat with a blender for about 5 minutes, until the mass acquires an airy consistency.

Put the resulting mousse with a spoon into glass bowls, wide glasses or bowls, and then refrigerate for 3 hours. Before serving, it should be sprinkled with the remaining grated chocolate, you can also add ground nuts, sesame seeds, seeds.

What do you cook and eat during fasting? Share your recipes with us in the comments to this article!