Lenten or non-fasting menu for a memorial meal?
How to choose between the two, and what actually changes on the table.
The choice isn't a preference — it follows the day the memorial falls on. Below is the simple rule families go by, plus what each option means once it reaches the table.
The rule, briefly
If the day of the memorial falls on a fasting day — Wednesday, Friday, or during one of the long fasts — the meal is lenten. If it's a day without fasting, it isn't. On some fasting days fish is permitted, and then a fish menu can be served.
When you're not sure, you ask the priest holding the service. He'll tell you, and so will we, if you call with the date.
What changes on a lenten table
Meat, eggs and dairy disappear. The same courses remain, with different dishes: vegetable or bean soup instead of ciorbă rădăuțeană, sarmale with mushrooms and rice instead of meat ones, lenten pie instead of cozonac.
The worry we hear most often is that a lenten meal comes out bland. It needn't: mashed beans, zacuscă, lenten sarmale and a good pie fill people up just as well.
What changes on a fish table
Fish becomes the main course, and the rest of the meal stays lenten. It's the option often chosen by families who want a more substantial meal without breaking the observance of the day.
Frequently asked
What families ask us
Can I combine lenten and non-fasting at the same meal?
Both can be prepared, if some of the guests keep a strict fast. Tell us how many there are and we'll portion them separately.
Is colivă lenten?
Yes. It's made from wheat, sugar and walnuts, so it suits either case.