Fasolada, Fakes, and the Quiet Power of Fasting in the Orthodox World
In a world where “healthy eating” often means pricey superfoods and complicated diets, there is something deeply refreshing about a kitchen that runs on beans, onions, olive oil, and time.
That kitchen exists—and has existed for centuries—in the Greek Orthodox world during Sarakosti, or Great Lent. For about forty days leading up to Orthodox Easter, the Greek table changes. Meat disappears. Dairy and eggs vanish. In stricter homes, even olive oil and wine are put aside on many weekdays. Yet somehow, no one goes hungry.
Instead, simple ingredients step forward and take center stage—especially legumes.During this season, beans, lentils, and chickpeas become so important that they’re lovingly called the “meat of the poor.” Not because anyone feels deprived, but because these humble foods quietly take over what meat usually does: they satisfy, they nourish, and they bring people together around the table.
For women who are juggling family, work, wellness, and a desire to eat more intentionally, there’s something powerful here. Sarakosti isn’t just a religious practice; it’s a built-in reset that leans on pantry staples, slow cooking, and a different definition of “enough.”
In this post, we’re going to:
- Explore what Sarakosti is and why it matters
- Talk about why legumes became the “meat of the poor”
- Cook two classic Greek Lenten recipes:
- Fasolada – the national bean soup of Greece
- Fakes – a simple, deeply comforting lentil soup
- Reflect on what this old tradition can teach us about modern, mindful eating
If you love food with a story, you’re in exactly the right place.
What Is Sarakosti? The Forty Days of Less
In the Greek Orthodox calendar, Sarakosti literally means “the forty days,” referring to the fasting period before Easter (Pascha). It begins on Clean Monday—a day when families often head outdoors, fly kites, and eat a fully Lenten meal—and continues all the way to Holy Week.The traditional guidelines are surprisingly specific. On most days of Great Lent:
No meat
No dairy
No eggs
No fish with a backbone
In stricter practice, no olive oil or wine on many weekdays
There are a few feast-like exceptions when fish or oil and wine are allowed. But the heart of Sarakosti is this: you deliberately eat more simply than you could.To a modern Western eye, this might look like extreme minimalism. To earlier generations, especially in rural Greece, it looked a lot like everyday life. Meat was expensive and saved for feast days. The average home already relied heavily on:
Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, fava)
Grains (wheat, barley, rice)
Seasonal vegetables
Olives and olive oil
Fruits and nuts
Sarakosti, in that sense, is not about inventing a new diet. It’s about intentionally leaning into the foods that historically kept people going when money was tight, winters were hard, and faith was the thing that stitched the days together.
For many women today—whether they’re fasting or just looking for a plant-based reset—this season is a chance to rediscover those “old” foods through a modern lens. It’s simple cooking that still feels rich, nourishing, and deeply grounding.
Beans as the “Meat of the Poor”
Let’s talk about that phrase: “the meat of the poor.”
It sounds a little harsh, almost like a consolation prize. But in practice, it isn’t. It’s a sign of respect for how powerful legumes really are.
For centuries, meat was rare and celebratory. A lamb roasted on a spit for Easter. A chicken stewed for a wedding. These were the exceptions, not the rule.
Beans, on the other hand, were always there.
They were cheap, so even poorer households could afford them.
They were shelf-stable, stored dry in sacks, ready to use when fresh food was scarce.
They were nutrient-dense, offering protein, fiber, minerals, and energy.
They were incredibly versatile: soups, stews, purees, baked dishes, salads.
During famine, war, or occupation, a pot of beans could mean survival. During fasting seasons like Sarakosti, it meant you could observe your faith without putting your body in danger.
And in the Greek kitchen, beans are never boring. They simmer with onions and bay leaves. They’re enriched with olive oil. They’re brightened with tomatoes, herbs, or a splash of vinegar. They’re paired with pickled vegetables, olives, raw onions, and good bread.
When you see them this way, legumes stop being the “cheap protein” you buy when you’re broke and start becoming an intentional choice:
For your health
For your budget
For your values
Which brings us to the star of the Lenten table: Fasolada.
Fasolada: The National Dish of Greece
If you ask Greeks to name a “national dish,” many will skip over the tourist favorites like moussaka and souvlaki and go straight to something much humbler: Fasolada.
Fasolada is a white bean soup that manages to be simple, hearty, and deeply satisfying. It’s built from pantry ingredients: dried beans, onion, carrot, celery, tomato, olive oil, and a couple of herbs. Yet somehow, the result is comfort in a bowl.
Historically, Fasolada has done a lot of heavy lifting:
It sustained families through harsh winters.
It helped people survive war and occupation when meat and dairy were luxuries.It became a staple of Lenten cooking, appearing regularly during Sarakosti.
It’s also wonderfully flexible. You can make it thicker or brothy, with or without tomato, with more vegetables or fewer. It’s the kind of recipe that invites you to use what you already have.
Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup)
Serves 4–6
Ingredients:
1 lb (about 450 g) dried white beans (cannellini or Great Northern)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2–3 carrots, sliced into coins
2–3 celery stalks, chopped (or 1 small celery root, diced)
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14–15 oz / 400 g) crushed or diced tomatoes (or a couple of grated ripe tomatoes)
1–2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano or thyme
About 1/3 cup olive oil (you can use less, or add at the end for flavor)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges and chopped fresh parsley for serving
Step 1 – Soak the Beans
Place the dried beans in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water, and soak overnight. This helps them cook more evenly and makes them easier to digest.
Step 2 – The Pre-Boil (Optional, but Helpful)
The next day, drain the beans and place them in a pot with fresh water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10–15 minutes. Drain again. This “first boil” is an old trick to make the soup feel lighter.
Step 3 – Build the Soup
Return the beans to the pot and cover with fresh water by about 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm). Add the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, and dried herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Let this cook, uncovered or partially covered, until the beans are nearly tender—usually 30–40 minutes, but it can vary depending on your beans.
Step 4 – Add Tomatoes & Olive Oil
When the beans are just about tender, stir in the crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Now comes the soul of the dish: the olive oil. You can add it earlier for flavor or wait until the beans are soft and then stir it in during the last 10–15 minutes of cooking. The oil gives the soup richness and helps create that silky, almost creamy body without any dairy.
Continue simmering until the beans are very tender and the broth has thickened slightly. If it gets too thick, add a little water. If it’s too thin, let it simmer a bit longer with the lid off.
Step 5 – Serve with the “Extras”
Ladle Fasolada into bowls, top with chopped parsley, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.
Traditionally, this is where the table fills out:
Crusty bread, torn or sliced
Olives
Pickled vegetables or raw sliced onions
On strictly Lenten days, this is a full, satisfying meal all on its own. On less strict days, some families might serve it alongside salted or smoked fish.
However you pair it, one bowl is enough to convince you that “peasant food” can feel incredibly luxurious.
Fakes: The Weeknight Lentil Warrior
If Fasolada is the national comfort soup, then Fakes (pronounced “Fah-kess”) is the everyday workhorse.
This is the lentil soup that shows up in Greek homes all year long, not just during Sarakosti. It’s fast, filling, and almost ridiculously inexpensive. Unlike beans, lentils cook quickly and don’t need soaking, which makes this a perfect weeknight meal.
At its simplest, Fakes is just:
Brown lentils
Onion
Garlic
Bay leaf
Tomato (optional)
Olive oil
And the famous finishing touch: a splash of vinegar
That last element is key. The vinegar cuts through the earthiness of the lentils and brightens the whole bowl. It’s one of those small, signature details that makes the dish taste distinctly Greek.
Fakes (Greek Lentil Soup)
Serves 4–6
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
3–4 cloves garlic, minced
1–2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for drizzling)1–2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste or 1 cup crushed tomatoes (optional but lovely)
6–7 cups water or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Red wine vinegar, to serve
Step 1 – Sauté the Base
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute, just until fragrant.
Step 2 – Add Lentils & Liquid
Stir in the rinsed lentils and bay leaves. Add the water or broth, plus the tomato paste or crushed tomatoes if using.Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently.
Step 3 – Simmer to Tender
Cook for about 30–40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened slightly. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if needed.Season with salt and pepper toward the end of cooking, when the flavors have developed.
Step 4 – The Vinegar Trick
Here’s where Fakes becomes Fakes. When you serve the soup, offer a small bottle of red wine vinegar at the table.Each person should drizzle a little into their bowl and stir it in. Start small—a teaspoon or so—and adjust to taste. The vinegar brightens the flavor and brings the whole dish to life.
Step 5 – Serve Simply
Serve your lentil soup with:
A drizzle of olive oil on top crusty bread
Maybe some olives or sliced raw onion
If you’re following a Lenten pattern, this is everything you need in a bowl: protein, fiber, comfort, and warmth.
What Sarakosti Can Teach Our Modern Kitchens
You might not be heading into a forty-day religious fast. You might not be ready to give up your morning latte or your Sunday steak. That’s okay.
Sarakosti still has so much to offer if you zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
Here are a few quiet lessons from this tradition that can fit into almost any lifestyle:
1. Simpler Doesn’t Mean Less SatisfyingBoth Fasolada and Fakes are made from inexpensive pantry staples, yet they taste rich, layered, and complete. The “secret” isn’t expensive ingredients; it’s time, patience, and a few smart techniques—like pre-boiling beans, finishing with olive oil, or adding vinegar at the end.
2. Build Your Meals Around Plants, Not Meat
During Sarakosti, meat steps back and plants step forward. Legumes and vegetables become the main event, not a side. You don’t have to be vegan to try a version of this a couple of days a week.
Choose:
“Bean Day” once a week
“Lentil Night” instead of takeout
A Lenten-style meal when you feel like your body needs a reset
3. Let Tradition Guide Your “Reset”
Instead of following the newest detox or cleanse, you can look back at how entire cultures structured seasonal resets. Sarakosti does this naturally: it builds in a period of lighter eating that’s still nourishing, socially shared, and emotionally grounded.
You can borrow that idea without copying it exactly. Maybe you choose:
One week each season for simpler, plant-based meals
A tradition of soup nights when the weather turns cold
A personal “fast” from ultra-processed foods for a stretch of time
4. Food as a Bridge to History
Cooking these recipes is a way to step into someone else’s story, even if just for an evening. Fasolada and Fakes connect you to generations of women who stirred pots of beans for their families during lean years, fasting seasons, and everyday life.
You may be stirring yours in a modern American kitchen with an electric stove and a podcast playing in the background—but the chain of care is the same.
Bringing It to Your Table
If you’re ready to dip your toe into this world, here’s a simple way to start:
Pick one of the two recipes—Fasolada or Fakes.
Make it on a Sunday afternoon or a quiet weeknight.
Serve it the way it’s meant to be eaten: with good bread, a drizzle of olive oil, and something crunchy or briny on the side.
Then check in with yourself:
How do you feel after this kind of meal?
Did you miss meat as much as you expected?
Could this fit into your regular rotation once or twice a month?
You might find that a bowl of humble beans doesn’t feel “poor” at all. It feels intentional. It feels grounding. It feels like care.
And that, more than anything, is the secret of Sarakosti: learning to be satisfied with less, and realizing that less can still be very, very satisfying.
It's Nicky Lynn 