Today's Fast

April 11, 2026
Lenten Fast — Wine is Allowed

Great and Holy Saturday

Hieromartyr Antipas, Bishop of Pergamum / Holy Martyrs Processus and Martinian (1st c.)

Troparion: Great and Holy Saturday: Tone II. Noble Joseph ... When Thou, the Deathless Life, didst go down to death, then didst Thou slay hell by the lightning flash of Thy Divinity. And when Thou didst raise...
20 recipes
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Gazpacho-Style Raw Tomato Soup
Other Xerophagy

Gazpacho-Style Raw Tomato Soup

Traditional Spanish gazpacho contains olive oil and bread. This xerophagy version strips it back to its raw essence: ...

Fresh Fruit and Nut Plate with Honey
Other Xerophagy

Fresh Fruit and Nut Plate with Honey

This is not so much a recipe as a philosophy of eating: take what is fresh and in season, pair it with raw nuts and h...

Raw Zucchini Noodles with Tomato and Fresh Basil
Other Xerophagy

Raw Zucchini Noodles with Tomato and Fresh Basil

Spiralized raw zucchini dressed with crushed tomatoes, garlic, basil, and salt is the closest thing xerophagy has to ...

Stuffed Celery Boats with Almond Butter and Raisins
Other Xerophagy

Stuffed Celery Boats with Almond Butter and Raisins

Ants on a log. That is what Americans call this when they make it with peanut butter for children. But strip away the...

Overnight Soaked Oats with Berries and Almonds
Other Xerophagy

Overnight Soaked Oats with Berries and Almonds

Here is the xerophagy controversy you will encounter online: are overnight oats "cooked"? The answer, practically spe...

Raw Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs (Fattoush-Style)
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...

Walnut and Fig Balls with Cinnamon and Honey
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...

Raw Vegetable Platter with Avocado Dip
Other Xerophagy

Raw Vegetable Platter with Avocado Dip

Tahini requires processing and sometimes roasting of the sesame seeds, and hummus requires cooked chickpeas — so the ...

Honey and Walnut Bread
Other Xerophagy

Honey and Walnut Bread

Bread torn by hand and dipped in honey with walnuts scattered on top — this is not a recipe, it is the oldest way to ...

Cucumber, Tomato, and Olive Salad with Lemon and Salt
Other Xerophagy

Cucumber, Tomato, and Olive Salad with Lemon and Salt

This is the xerophagy version of a Greek salad — stripped of its oil, its feta, and its cooked elements. What remains...

Trail Mix for Fasting Days
Other Xerophagy

Trail Mix for Fasting Days

This is the most portable and calorie-dense xerophagy food you can prepare. A bag of this in your pocket gets you thr...

Monastery Bread with Olives and Raw Tomatoes
Other Xerophagy

Monastery Bread with Olives and Raw Tomatoes

This is the quintessential xerophagy meal — the one that monks on Mount Athos and in monasteries across the Orthodox ...

Apple and Celery with Peanut Butter
Other Xerophagy

Apple and Celery with Peanut Butter

This is not glamorous. A sliced apple, some celery sticks, and a scoop of peanut butter — it sounds like a child's af...

Dates Stuffed with Walnuts
Other Xerophagy

Dates Stuffed with Walnuts

This is a Middle Eastern monastic staple that has sustained desert monks for centuries. Medjool dates are nature's ca...

Sochivo — Christmas Eve Wheat with Honey and Poppy Seeds
Other Xerophagy

Sochivo — Christmas Eve Wheat with Honey and Poppy Seeds

Sochivo (also called kutia or kolivo depending on the tradition) is the ritual dish of Christmas Eve — the last and m...

Raw Sauerkraut and Bread
Other Xerophagy

Raw Sauerkraut and Bread

Fermented cabbage is a pillar of Slavic xerophagy — Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, and Bulgarian monasteries all rely o...

Raw Beet and Carrot Salad with Lemon and Walnuts
Other Xerophagy

Raw Beet and Carrot Salad with Lemon and Walnuts

Raw beets are sweeter than you expect, and they pair remarkably well with the earthiness of carrot and the bitterness...

Raw Sprouted Chickpea Spread
Other Xerophagy

Raw Sprouted Chickpea Spread

Hummus is one of the great fasting foods, but traditional hummus requires cooking the chickpeas and adding tahini (ma...

Banana and Almond Butter Wraps
Other Xerophagy

Banana and Almond Butter Wraps

This is the most calorie-dense, most satisfying, and most portable xerophagy meal that requires no preparation beyond...

Dried Fruit and Nut Energy Balls
Other Xerophagy

Dried Fruit and Nut Energy Balls

These no-cook energy balls are the closest thing to a protein bar that xerophagy permits. Dates provide the binding —...

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