The Rules of the Greek Fast
So the Holy Week has begun, known as Megali Evdomada – the literal translation being “Big Week” in Greek. Nowadays most people (and kids) fast only this week. Growing up in the states, we would follow the traditional Greek fasting diet for the week, but there was such variety in the food, that we really didn’t notice any difference. Dishes that do not include animal products and adhere to the rules of the fast (called nisteia in Greek) are called nistisima, so for many dishes there was a nistisimo version, for example spinach pie without the feta cheese.
During that week we had pasta, sometimes accompanied with little pieces of cooked octopus in tomato sauce, rice and spinach, green beans or peas ladera (made with tomato and olive oil), lentils cooked with olive oil, Greek potato salad, spanakopita (spinach pie) or leek pie without cheese, taramosalata, skordalia, vegan Greek cookies (koulourakia).
And of course there was the American element; for lunch at school we would have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the perfect nistisimo snack: no animal products and combines protein and carbs. Till this day it’s one of my favorite sandwiches. Make it healthier by using whole wheat bread and jam with no sugar added.
Foods Allowed on the Greek Fast
Following this type of eating, even only for a week a will still provide benefits, so it may be worth a try even if you are not Greek, click here and see why. The rules are pretty simple: no animal products with the exception of animals such as octopus and squid as many believe that these creatures do not have blood. In fact, it has to do more that their blood being blue rather than red, due to the hemocyanin.
Allowed: beans, vegetables, bread, fruit, honey, nut butters, rice…
pasta (no egg noodles), cereals, olive oil, honey, and basically anything that does not contain animal products with exception of certain seafood. Seafood that is allowed in includes mollusks (squid, calamari, octopus, mussels, clams) and crustaceans (shrimp, crabs, crayfish etc).
Not Allowed: meat poultry, pork, game, fish, dairy, eggs, butter
Fasting Days
The days that the fast is followed are as following:
- Every Wednesday and Friday
- The Great Fast (Lent)-beginning on a Monday 7 weeks before Easter
- Fast of the Apostles- it begins on a Monday, 8 days after Pentecost, and ends on June 28
- Fast of the Repose of the Virgin Mary–August 1 to 14
- Christmas Fast–lasting 40 days, from November 15 to December 24
A Note About Olive Oil
Diehard followers also avoid olive oil which is traditionally allowed only on the weekends. In the old days they used tahini to add some fat, nowadays many of those who avoid olive oil during the fast here in Greece will use corn oil (ugh!) or other seed or vegetable oils, just so they can say they avoided olive oil. But these oils are not beneficial so healthwise if you want to follow a Greek fast, you would be better off using olive oil, which has added health benefits and actually improves your diet.
Sample Menu for a Greek Fast
- Breakfast: Slice of whole wheat bread with tahini or peanut butter and a glass of juice
- Snack: H piece of pasteli, a honey and sesame bar
- Lunch: Rice with beans (Greeks commonly use lentils for this dish, but you can use other types) or rice with spinach or pasta with shrimp
- Snack: a few Kalmata olives with bread or bread sticks and some fruit.
- Dinner: A large piece of nistisimi spanakopita (spanakopita made without cheese and egg)
Photo Credit: Grilled Octopus by Klearchos Kapoutsis
Q: is WALNUT OIL permissible during Orthodox Christian fasting, and The Great Lent ?
Is there specific days in the week that we cant eat some of the food . For example can we eat prawns the whole week ?
Hello Elena,
There was no mention if dry wine red or white is allowed during the lent?
Thanks Michael
Best thing is a church calendar! It will have a fasting legend, like grapes for wine, on each day of the fast. Yes, have wine but only on a few days.
Excellent as always. Thank you!!
I am so enjoying your site so much and the recipes are beautiful. I am considering a switch from Keto to the Mediterranean Food Plan for health reasons. Does intermittent fasting work with the Mediterranean? Any suggestions on how to incorporate the two?
Hi Elena!
I have an appointment to go over fasting with the Priest that I have recently committed myself to. One major health benefit that came back to me thanks to the services is the more I meditate, the lower my blood pressure gets! I love going to church just sitting quietly and having my breath taken away of the beauty of the church.
My challenge right now is the fasting. I have Celiac Sprue and it seems as though I should follow the Mediterranean I should follow all the time. Meats and I do not get along. So if I fast and follow this diet all the long like was suggested by my nutritionist, how do I incorporate the fasting? What foods shall I remove for fasting ?
Do you have a book of recipes I can purchase?
Hi Evelyn, There are no meats during the fasting. The diet is heavy on vegetables and beans which should be fine for you. You would only have to avoid gluten containing foods.
Can you also eat shellfish like shrimp or scallops? Are those considered “blue blooded” too? Thanks in advance!
Hi Kat, Yes you can eat all shellfish. I’ll clarify that in the post.
During a “strict” fast day, it is my understanding that a person may only eat bread, vegetables and fruit. Can any grain, such as rice be substituted for bread? And because one cannot use oil, I presume the veggies must be steamed, cooked in water or eaten raw. Is this correct?
On the strict fast days, you do not eat olive oil or drink wine but you can eat all the other fasting foods (including other grains).On the weekends olive oil is allowed. Vegetables may be cooked in water with herbs and also with tomato or tomato sauce, and often tahini is mixed in instead of olive oil.
Is there a Greek Tradition like intermittent fasting?
No
Hello Elena, I love your site. For some reason my mind goes blank during the fasts…especially after a few weeks of it. Back here in the states, it seems to be very different in our Orthodox communities than it is in Greece. Everyone we know follows the canonical fasting guidelines for the duration of Lent, Advent, the Apostles fast, the Dormition fast…etc. not to mention Wednesdays and Fridays. Including no olive oil except on weekends and feast days. That’s been my biggest challenge….finding fasting recipes (vegan if you will) that don’t use oil or fake (usually unhealthy) substitutes. I’m very excited to see the recipes that you can share for the fasts that don’t use oil. Thank you for your site and blog!
Wonderful, keeping to traditions. Bravo!