Middle Eastern
Xerophagy
Mirza Ghasemi-Style Smoked Eggplant and Tomato Mezze
Mirza ghasemi is the smoky pride of northern Iran's Caspian coast — eggplants charred until their flesh collapses int...
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Today's Fast
July 16, 2026
No Fast
Hieromartyr Athenogenes, Bishop of Heracleopolis
Hieromartyr Athenogenes, Bishop of Heracleopolis
Troparion: Holy Martyr Hyacinth: Tone IV. In his suffering, O Lord,/ Thy martyr Hyacinth received an imperishable crown from Thee our God;/ for, possessed of Thy might,/ he set at nought the tormentors and cr...
Recipe of the Day
Tiropita — Cheese Pie
Greek
Non Fasting
Fasting Recipes
Middle Eastern
Fast Without Oil
Mercimek Köftesi — Turkish Red Lentil and Bulgur Patties
Mercimek köftesi is Turkey's great meze of the fasting table — soft, savory patties of red lentils and fine bulgur, k...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Khoresh-e Gheymeh-ye Lapeh — Persian Split Pea and Tomato Stew with Dried Lime
Gheymeh is one of Iran's beloved stews — traditionally built on small cubes of meat, but the yellow split peas were a...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Adas Polo — Persian Lentil Rice with Dates and Caramelized Onion
Adas polo layers tender brown lentils through fluffy saffron rice, then studs the whole thing with sweet dates and ra...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Āsh-e Reshteh — Persian Bean, Lentil, and Noodle Soup
Āsh-e reshteh is the great green soup of Persia — thick with chickpeas, kidney beans, and lentils, threaded with whea...
Middle Eastern
Fast Without Oil
No-Oil Adas bi Hamod — Lebanese Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup with Lemon
Adas bi hamod is a Lebanese sour lentil soup, traditionally finished with olive oil and a flood of lemon. Even withou...
Middle Eastern
Xerophagy
Soaked Lentil Tabbouleh with Cracked Wheat and Herbs
Most tabbouleh is mostly parsley. This one keeps the avalanche of herbs but folds in soaked-not-cooked brown lentils ...
Middle Eastern
Fast Without Oil
Baked Potatoes and Chickpeas in Spiced Tomato Sauce (No Oil)
This is a tray of soft potatoes and chickpeas, blanketed in a thick, spiced tomato sauce and baked until the edges ca...
Middle Eastern
Fast Without Oil
Ful Akhdar Maslouq — Levantine Stewed Green Fava and White Beans
Across the Levant, ful is breakfast, supper, and everything between — earthy stewed beans you scoop up with bread unt...
Middle Eastern
Xerophagy
Soaked Bulgur, Chickpea, and Herb Mezze with Sumac and Pomegranate
This is a strict-day plate that asks nothing of the stove. Fine bulgur is soaked cold until tender, then tossed with ...
Middle Eastern
Fast Without Oil
Egyptian Bissara-Free Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup (Shorbet Ads bil Silq)
This is Egyptian comfort in a bowl — red lentils cooked down to a creamy, golden soup, then loaded with ribbons of Sw...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Freekeh and Chickpea Pilaf with Spiced Cauliflower
Freekeh is young green wheat, fire-roasted while still soft so the grain keeps a smoky, nutty chew that ordinary bulg...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Bissara — Moroccan Split Fava Bean Purée with Cumin Oil
Bissara is breakfast for working people across northern Morocco — a thick, velvety purée of dried split fava beans, s...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Harira Hamra — Moroccan Tomato, Lentil, and Chickpea Soup
Harira is the soup that breaks the fast across Morocco — a thick, tomato-stained pot of lentils and chickpeas laced w...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Turşu — Balkan and Middle Eastern Mixed Vinegar Pickles
Turşu (also written torshi, turshi, or tursija) is the preserved vegetable condiment of a huge region — from Iran thr...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
منقوشة بالزعتر — Manakish Za'atar (Lebanese Herb Flatbread)
Manakish is breakfast across Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. A thin, round flatbread baked with a topping of z...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Fatteh with Eggplant
Fatteh is the Middle Eastern art of layering crispy bread with saucy things on top, and it is one of the most textura...
Middle Eastern
Xerophagy
Raw Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs (Fattoush-Style)
Fattoush is the great Levantine bread salad — torn pita mixed with tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and herbs in a suma...
Middle Eastern
Xerophagy
Walnut and Fig Balls with Cinnamon and Honey
These are the sweet, dense, energy-packed bites that get you through the long services of Holy Week when your body is...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Baba Ghanoush (بابا غنوج) — Smoky Roasted Eggplant Dip
Baba ghanoush is the smoky, silky cousin of hummus — roasted eggplant mashed with tahini, lemon, and garlic into a di...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Kibbeh with Bulgur and Walnut
Traditional kibbeh demands lamb, but this Lenten version is built on a shell of fine bulgur and a filling of walnuts,...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Tabbouleh (تبولة)
Tabbouleh is a parsley salad with bulgur wheat, not a bulgur salad with parsley. This distinction matters enormously....
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Ful Medames (فول مدمس) — Stewed Fava Beans
Ful medames is the breakfast of Egypt, eaten by millions every single morning, and it is one of the most ancient prep...
Middle Eastern
Fast With Oil
Koshari (كشري) — Egyptian Street Food
Koshari is the national dish of Egypt — a magnificent, chaotic pile of rice, lentils, macaroni pasta, and chickpeas, ...
Middle Eastern
Fast Without Oil
Red Lentil Soup with Cumin and Lemon
Red lentil soup is one of the great gifts of the Middle Eastern kitchen to the fasting table. It requires no oil at a...
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