Please tell me whether it is possible to eat seafood during Lent: squid, shrimp and the like. I understand that fasting is not a diet, and the meaning of fasting is abstinence and maintaining purity, both physical and spiritual. And yet, recently, from a conversation with one priest, I realized that during Lent you can eat chordateless, that is, bloodless living creatures, which include crabs, shrimp and squid. I have always considered these products a delicacy and now I don’t know if they can be eaten during Lent? Thank you in advance for your response.

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

You are absolutely right. Fasting has spiritual purposes. However, bodily abstinence is also a certain sacrifice that we make to God. According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, bodily fasting is a medium virtue. Fasting must be done within one's ability. He teaches us moderation, the ability to control our desires. If the food mentioned in your letter is a treat for you, then refuse it. And one more piece of advice: if you haven’t eaten this food before during Lent, if you have developed an image of fasting for years, then do not deviate from your usual. Otherwise, from time to time you will have the thought that you have weakened the feat.

If we approach the issue from the point of view of the charter, then we must recall that the criterion for lean food is clear - plant food. Taxonomy includes squid, shrimp, etc. to the animal kingdom. Fish, which the statute allows on holidays, is considered semi-lenten food. Also seafood (shrimp, etc.).

Hello! Please tell me why relationships, both at work and personal, become so strained during Lent. Quarrels occur, which are then difficult to get out of. How to avoid such situations or prevent them? Thank you. Tatiana

Hello Tatiana! The main reason for this is that often we only care about physical fasting, sometimes very carefully reading the ingredients on packages (so as not to break the fast), but we forget that spiritual fasting is much more important. The elders said: “At least you eat meat during fasting, just don’t eat each other.” That is, despite the importance of bodily fasting, it is much more important to conduct fasting in such a way as not to exhaust yourself from hunger and fatigue (and this usually results in irritability) and because of this not to “exacerbate relations” with your neighbors.

You need to be very attentive to your inner mood, try to be calm and friendly with everyone, and pray regularly. Let’s say, every hour, devote 1-2 minutes to reading the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” If you have sinned by being irritable, immediately repent fervently before the Lord and ask for forgiveness from the one you offended. Ask the Lord to grant you humility, patience and meekness.

God help you!

Please tell me, is it possible to drink tea with chocolate during Lent if it is without milk? Thank you!

Cocoa is a product of plant origin, so chocolate without milk is a lean food that can be eaten during fasting.

Sincerely, priest Alexander Ilyashenko

Father, bless. There is no temple here, so please tell me what to do right. In the team, she refused to prepare a holiday program, thereby offending some people. After all, my husband and I try to observe fasting. But I didn’t explain to people that I was fasting; I was afraid that I was a sinner—they wouldn’t understand me. Now I still help prepare the program, but I said I won’t conduct it. I’m very worried that my husband and I will be called to take part in competitions and dances. How to find the middle - and not have fun, and not sit like a downtrodden person. I understand that it’s a sin to offend people, but I didn’t think that I could offend anyone by refusing. How to make peace with people? Is it a sin to help prepare a festive program for a corporate holiday? God bless you. Svetlana

Hello Svetlana!

It seems to me that helping prepare a program is not a sin if the program itself does not contain any obscene jokes, etc. At the holiday itself, you can and should heartily congratulate your colleagues, tell them kind words and wishes. It’s probably not worth dancing, but participating in competitions (again, within the bounds of decency) is quite possible. You can come up with and hold some kind of competition yourself. As for fasting, try to take part in preparing lenten dishes. are regularly published on our website.

How does fasting time differ from ordinary time? I’m already trying to lead a strict spiritual life... how and what should I change by fasting?

Fasting is a special time of recognizing one’s own weakness and overcoming one’s own self. Why does the Church designate special periods of fasting? In order for a person to be able to consolidate what has been achieved at this special time in everyday realities: the environment of fasting mobilizes us, we realize something, we take the path of struggle against certain inclinations - we bring this awareness and struggle from fasting into everyday life.

The next post brings something of its own. That’s why the Fathers say that fasting is a ladder that leads us to Heaven. If you have a feeling that fasting is easy for you, then consult your confessor or the priest with whom you constantly confess: they will help you understand what exactly is wrong, what is the reason for this relaxing ease.

It happens that the pious exercises of fasting come easily to us due to natural inclinations - there are, for example, people who do not like meat or entertainment. But each of us has something that can become the subject of special care during the days of fasting - imperfection is not outside, it is inside us and fasting helps us see it.

Sincerely, priest Alexy Kolosov

Good afternoon My mother is 72 years old and has poor eyesight. She strictly adheres to fasting and, due to poor eyesight, cooks only potatoes for herself all year round. It turns out that the body does not receive any useful substances. Please tell me if there are any restrictions on fasting due to health reasons and age?

Of course, the extent of fasting depends on the person’s state of health, but this is determined by him in a personal conversation with the priest, and not by his children in absentia via the Internet. In addition, as far as I understand, your mother “cooks her own potatoes all year round” - so the reason is not fasting, but poor eyesight.

Sincerely, priest Alexander Ilyashenko

What fast should a 13 year old have? If possible, describe it. Arthur

Dear Arthur!

At your age, fasting is determined by what your mother cooks. You can limit yourself to some delicacies, you can not watch TV at all, you can help your mother more, if possible, go to church more often, and not offend anyone. If you haven’t learned it yet, then learn the prayers “Our Father” and “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary.” The Lord is with you!

Is it allowed to eat seafood during Lent? Do these include shrimp, squid, oysters?

In all strictness, seafood should be consumed during Lent, just like fish, that is, on the holidays of the Annunciation and Palm Sunday. Shrimp, squid and oysters are non-vegetable foods. However, questions regarding the personal measure of fasting must be agreed upon with the confessor.

Sincerely, priest Alexander Ilyashenko

How to fast as a student?

The measure of fasting depends primarily on the person’s state of health; it must be established in a personal conversation with the priest. Remember that fasting is not a hunger strike; fasting food can be both satisfying and varied. Don’t forget about spiritual fasting: try to go to church more often, devote more time to prayer, and avoid watching entertainment programs and films during fasting. Be kind and merciful to your loved ones, try not to judge anyone, not to quarrel with anyone, and to avoid irritability.

Tell me, during fasting, animal products are prohibited from being consumed only, as they say, “internally”? The fact is that most cosmetic creams, foams and masks contain milk, cream, and animal fat... Is it possible to consume honey during fasting?

Yes, you can use creams and eat honey during fasting.

Sincerely, priest Alexander Ilyashenko

Father, I’m ashamed to admit; I cannot withstand fasting under the monastery rules, I have been at war with myself for a year, but nothing good comes of it: I break down, suffer from guilt, fear, or fall into grumbling and protest. I was unable to get clear advice and an answer to the question about the measure of fasting from my parish priest; unfortunately, on your website, the answer to the question about the monastic charter of fasting and the charter for the laity is also evasive. The point is not that I’m looking for relief for myself, the point is that I can’t immediately go upstairs. I need help with advice on how to curb my belly and, while fighting with it, not miss everything else. God bless you.

Try to start small - observe the established fast on Wednesdays and Fridays: do not eat meat and dairy products, and eggs on these days. During Lent, observe these restrictions, and also abstain from fish dishes on Wednesdays and Fridays. A Lenten meal can be nourishing and tasty; recipes for Lenten dishes are published on our website.

Ask the Lord for strength to fast. Also pay more attention to spiritual fasting: go to church more often, devote more time to prayer, avoid watching entertainment programs and films during fasting. Be kind and merciful to your loved ones, try not to judge anyone, not to quarrel with anyone, and to avoid irritability.

God help you! priest Alexander Ilyashenko

Please tell me, is it possible to sign during fasting?

I would not advise an Orthodox Christian woman to get married during Lent. The only thing that is permissible is to register the marriage with the registry office, and the celebration of the wedding to coincide with the date of the wedding (weddings do not take place during fasting periods).

Sincerely, priest Alexander Ilyashenko

Is fasting (food restriction) really necessary? Reading spiritual literature, intense prayers, abstaining from entertainment, and confession before communion may be sufficient. Especially for children.

If you mean fasting before Communion, then for those who receive communion regularly (once every 2-3 weeks), it can be made easier, but only with the blessing of the confessor. Young children (under 7 years old) may not fast before communion.

As for the one-day and multi-day fasts established by the Church, it is necessary to observe them, if health allows. The measure of fasting for children is again different than for adults. But, I repeat, all issues of personal fasting must be resolved individually with the priest.

Sincerely, priest Alexander Ilyashenko

Why are there so many restrictions on pleasures, food, and sexual relations in Orthodoxy? This does not seem to cause harm to others, nor does it violate the commandment to love one’s neighbor. Why is it necessary to “kill your body”, your desires? Why such lack of freedom?

Our body is killed not by restrictions on food and other pleasures, but by excess in them. And, besides, even if we do not harm others and do not violate the commandment to love our neighbor, we still need to love God. This is where some restrictions in pleasures come from, since love, when it exists, manifests itself in action, in our actions.

For example, it is easy to say: “I don’t love myself,” but at the same time our actions indicate that we love ourselves exactly as we should love God. And you can just as easily say: “I love God,” but nothing is easier than words—love is learned from deeds. And if we at least want to love God, we will limit ourselves to what removes us from God. There is no such goal - neither in worldly life, nor in spiritual life, for the sake of which we would not sacrifice something else. Those who do not want to sacrifice anything are left with nothing - they do not gain anything worthwhile, and at the same time they lose what they had.

Priest Mikhail Nemnonov

Mom is against my fasting, I depend on her, what should I do? She is a believer, but does not go to church; she believes that it is enough just to be a good person. Anastasia

Dear Anastasia!
The first thing that comes to mind is to cook for yourself and your loved ones: by doing this you will serve your family, gain experience in housekeeping, which is so useful in family life, and avoid reasons for disagreements. If for some reason this is impossible, think that your mother is prompted to such reproaches by sincere care and concern for you - being a non-church person, she cannot yet understand the true motives of your actions and this irritates her: console her with love, signs of attention, kind words.

Be a good daughter, as befits an Orthodox Christian. Tell her that “everything is permissible, but not everything is useful” - explain to her the real meaning of fasting, as strengthening the will in small things in order to be worthy of the Lord in big things. Most of all, take care of meekness - remember the commandment to honor your parents: although we do not choose them, we are obliged to respect them!
Peace and blessings of God be upon you!

Is it possible for a 15-year-old boy to refrain from fasting, because school is preparing for exams, and this requires a lot of activity? Denis.

Hello, Denis. Fasting is a time of repentance and intense prayer to combat sin and the manifestation of original sin in human nature through passions, and abstinence in food is only one of the means of us getting closer to God, returning the prodigal son to the Father. The Church in one of its hymns sings: “From my youth many passions have fought me.” At the age of 15, a person must be ready to fight passions, so fasting must be observed.

How to keep the fast in your circumstances should be determined by your confessor. The degree of fasting depends on many reasons. It is not necessary to be in a dry diet, but it is necessary to pray more and more often than usual, and most importantly, limit yourself in entertainment (do not watch TV, do not take part in noisy entertainment, limit yourself in sweets), do not judge your neighbor, confess and receive communion.
Help God, priest Dimitri Lin

Priest Alexy Kolosov

http://semyaivera.ru/2

Is it possible to eat seafood during Lent - squid, shrimp, etc.?

Hello, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!

There is probably no more pressing issue among fasting people than the issue of seafood. Of course, deep down we would like to hear an affirmative answer from some respectable and spiritual priest (or even better, a Patriarch) who would say that you can certainly eat seafood during Lent! But this is only our desire...

So, is it possible to eat seafood during Lent - squid, shrimp, and other similar foods?

Fasting has spiritual goals, answers Hieromonk Job Gumerov. - However, bodily abstinence is also a certain sacrifice that we make to God. According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, bodily fasting is an average virtue. Fasting must be done within one's ability. He teaches us moderation, the ability to control our desires. If the food mentioned in your letter is a treat for you, then refuse it. And one more piece of advice: if you haven’t eaten this food before during Lent, if you have developed an image of fasting for years, then do not deviate from your usual. Otherwise, from time to time you will have the thought that you have weakened the feat.

If we approach the issue from the point of view of the charter, then we must recall that the criterion for lean food is clear - plant food. Taxonomy includes squid, shrimp, etc. to the animal kingdom. Fish, which the statute allows on holidays, is considered semi-lenten food. Also seafood (shrimp, etc.).”

As you can see, our dear visitors, shrimp, squid and other seafood, with all our great desire, cannot be classified as plant foods. This is the animal world of the sea.

And if you find the opposite answer on some other Orthodox site and act on it (that is, you eat shrimp, squid, etc. during Lent), you will feel how your conscience will resist this food.

In fact, you are already doing great!

Since you are looking for an answer to this question (and not immediately, when you heard from someone about the possibility of eating seafood, you included them in your fasting diet), this indicates that you are taking Lent seriously!

P.S. Of course, if you are sick with a serious illness, or get a lot of physical activity at work, then you need to go to the priest and get his blessing to relax your fast.

God bless you all and help you approach the great holiday of Easter with a pure heart!

Before you, our dear visitors, Culinary section, which contains four subsections:

Mushroom caviar

Salted mushrooms - 70 g, dried - 20 g, vegetable oil - 15 g, onions - 10 g, green onions - 20 g,
vinegar 3-5 percent - 5 g, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

This caviar is prepared from dried or salted mushrooms, as well as from a mixture of them.

Wash and cook dried mushrooms until tender, cool, finely chop or mince. Salted mushrooms should be washed in cold water and also chopped. Finely chopped onions, fried in vegetable oil, add mushrooms and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. In 3 min. Before the end of stewing, add crushed garlic, vinegar, pepper, and salt. Place the finished caviar in a heap on a plate and sprinkle with green onions.

Rassolnik Novo-Troitsky

5 ruffes, 400 g pike perch, 400 g fresh (frozen) fatty fish, preferably sturgeon, 400 g salted fish,
10 - 15 crayfish, 2 parsley roots, 5 pickles, 2 tbsp. l. flour, cucumber pickle, salt, pepper to taste,
1 tbsp. l. tomato puree, 1 bunch of dill.

Place the ruffs in gauze, tie it into a knot and place it in a pan of water. Add parsley root, salt and cook the fish soup. When the soup is cooked, remove the gauze with ruffs from it and strain. Then cook portioned pieces of large fish in it. Place the cooked fish in cold salted water. Boil salted fish separately. In a heated pan, fry the flour, dilute it with hot cucumber brine, bring to a boil, add the broth from cooking fresh fish and boil again. Then put the side dish in the pan: pieces of boiled fish, cucumbers simmered with tomatoes until soft, boiled crayfish tails. Place dill in plates with pickle sauce.

Fish cutlets

1 kg hake or cod, 2 onions, 150 g bread, flour, 100 g vegetable oil, black pepper, salt,
1 tsp. Sahara.

Clean the fish, wash it, separate the fillets from the bones and grind through a meat grinder along with fried onions and squeezed out bread, season with sugar, pepper, add flour, mix to form thick minced meat. Form cutlets, roll in breadcrumbs, fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Place the cutlets in a saucepan, add fish broth, and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with potatoes.

Cupcake with raisins and nuts

Wheat flour - 4 tbsp., sugar - 2 tbsp., vegetable oil - 1 tbsp., walnuts - 1 tbsp., apple broth - 2 tbsp., soda - 1 tsp., ground cinnamon - 1 tsp. , vinegar 3 percent - 1 tbsp. l., salt to taste.

Grind sugar and butter, add salt, raisins, finely chopped nuts, dilute with a decoction of dried apples, add soda. Gradually add flour, cinnamon, vinegar and mix. Place the dough in a greased pan. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes. in a preheated oven. Serve with tea or coffee, cut into portions.

Lenten lunch No. 12. Delicious recipes for Lent

Hello, our dear visitors!

Lent is coming to an end. There are only 10 days left until Easter! These calculations make my soul happy! But the stomach, which has received only plant foods for more than five weeks, is waiting for Easter any day now! So that he doesn’t get offended at us at all, we can offer him delicious Lenten dishes.

Vegetable soup with pumpkin and Brussels sprouts

In olive oil, sauté leeks cut into thick rings, carrots cut into slices and pumpkin cubes. Bring salted water to a boil. Add Brussels sprouts, diced celery and peppers and sautéed vegetables, add beans and olives and cook on low for 15 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

1 leek (white part only), 1 red sweet pepper, 1/4 celery tuber, 1 carrot, 100 g beans, 10 heads of Brussels sprouts, 200 g pumpkin, 3 tbsp. l. olives, 3 tbsp. l. olive oil, a few sprigs of parsley, salt to taste.

Salad with tofu and beans

Wash the lettuce leaves, sort and dry, then tear into large pieces or cut into strips. Drain the liquid from the can of beans and cut the tofu into cubes. Grate the walnuts and garlic on a fine grater. Mix the prepared lettuce leaves with beans, add soy cheese, walnuts, garlic and cilantro leaves, add salt to taste and sprinkle with sesame oil.

1 head of iceberg lettuce, 1 can (400 g) canned red beans, 200 g soy cheese tofu, 100 g walnuts, 1 clove garlic, a few sprigs of cilantro, 2 tbsp. l. sesame oil.

Honey cake with cherries

Pour hot water into a bowl, add sugar, honey, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest. Stir until sugar and honey are completely dissolved. Add baking powder and flour and mix thoroughly. Cover the pan with parchment and pour in the dough. arrange frozen cherries, chocolate broken into random pieces and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 175 degrees for 1 hour.

250 g flour, 150 g brown sugar, 3 tbsp. l. liquid honey, 50 g lean dark chocolate (90%), 50 g almond petals, 1 cup frozen cherries, 2 packets of baking powder, 200 - 250 ml hot water, juice and core of half a lemon, 1/4 tsp cinnamon , 1/4 tsp. ground ginger, 3 tbsp. l. cocoa powder

Lenten pancakes

Mix flour, sugar, water and yeast and place in a warm place for 1.5 hours. Do not stir the finished dough! Place in a frying pan with vegetable oil with a spoon dipped in cold water and fry until golden brown. Serve with jam or honey. 2 cups flour, 1.5 cups warm water, 3 tbsp. l. sugar, 1.5 tsp. dry yeast, vegetable oil

Excellent fish and vegetable lunch with pie!

Trout soup

1 trout, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 3 - 4 stalks of celery, parsley root along with herbs, 3 - 4 cloves of garlic, rice, salt, herbs, lemon.

Cut off the fins from the trout, cut off the head and tail, and remove the skin along with the scales. Place cleaned and thoroughly washed trout in a saucepan with water, add salt and bring to a boil over high gas, skimming off foam and excess fat. In a dry frying pan, lightly brown 1 onion and 1 carrot. Reduce gas, add onions and carrots, as well as celery stalks, garlic and parsley root to the soup and cook for about 30 - 40 minutes until the fish is cooked. Remove the fish, separate the bones and prepare portioned pieces in a separate bowl. Strain the broth and boil. Separately, cook fluffy rice (preferably long-grain varieties; jasmine variety works well). Place rice, a few pieces of fish in plates, pour in broth and sprinkle with herbs. Serve thinly sliced ​​lemon separately and add it to the soup if desired.

Risotto with vegetables

1 package of frozen green beans, some frozen cauliflower, 300 g of rice, 1 onion, vegetable oil, salt, sugar, a few green onions for decoration.

Risotto is a traditional dish of Italian cuisine. During cooking, this dish must be constantly stirred to obtain a creamy consistency. Arborio rice is best suited for risotto, as this rice has a neutral taste and has the ability to highlight the taste of other foods.

Boil 1.5 liters of water with a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp. Sahara. Boil frozen green beans for 10 minutes, remove and set aside. Boil several inflorescences of frozen cauliflower in the same water and remove. Finely chop the onion and simmer it until transparent in a deep frying pan in vegetable oil, add 300 g of rice, stir and also bring until transparent. Gradually add vegetable broth to the rice, stirring with a fork. Bring the rice to readiness and mix with the prepared vegetables. Garnish with green onions.

Pie with apples and lingonberries

Yeast dough, 5 - 6 sour apples, half a glass of lingonberries, 1.5 tbsp. l. starch, half a glass of sugar.

Prepare the yeast dough, roll it out into a layer 1.5 cm thick and place in a round pan lined with baking paper. Prepare the filling; Peel the apples, cut into small pieces, mix with lingonberries, add sugar and simmer lightly in a thick-bottomed saucepan over low heat. When the juice stands out, add 1.5 tbsp. l. starch and stir the filling until the starch is completely dissolved. When the filling thickens, cool it and place it on the prepared dough. Raise the sides. Roll out several strips of dough thinly and place on the pie in the form of a lattice. Bake for 35 minutes at 200 degrees.

Sweet pies can be decorated by sprinkling them with powdered sugar. To ensure that the powder is distributed evenly, it is convenient to use a special fly sieve or simply pour the powder through a strainer with small holes. Only completely cooled pies can be decorated with powdered sugar.

Angela at mealtime!

Fish lunch. Recipes

Cabbage soup with fresh cabbage and fish

300 g sturgeon with head or 350 g pike perch, or 1 kg head, 800 g fresh cabbage, 1 carrot, parsley root, 2 onions, 1/2 turnip, 50 g butter, 3 tablespoons of tomato puree, greens, 1 bay leaf, 3 pcs. peppercorns; salt, 1 tablespoon flour.

Cut the filleted fish into pieces and simmer or boil until tender.

Cut white cabbage and vegetables into strips. Place fresh cabbage in strained boiling fish broth and bring to a boil.

After this, add the sauteed vegetables (onions, carrots, turnips, parsley), tomato puree and cook for 15-25 minutes. Then add peppercorns, bay leaf, salt, add flour, previously diluted with broth, and boil for another 5 minutes. You can cook cabbage soup without tomato puree.

When serving, place 2-3 pieces of fish or pieces of head flesh on a plate and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Fish baked in Russian style

700-800 g fish fillet, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup grated cheese, 5-8 potatoes, 1/2 cup garlic mayonnaise, salt and ground pepper to taste.

Cut the fish fillet with skin into portions, place in a greased frying pan, add salt and pepper. Place slices of half-cooked potatoes around the fish, pour garlic mayonnaise over everything, sprinkle with grated cheese, sprinkle with butter and bake in the oven until golden brown. Before serving, drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley.

Lenten squid lunch for flu

Good afternoon, our dear visitors! Now it’s December outside the window, a cold month with a peak in colds and, of course, flu (where would we be without it). Our immunity is persistently fighting against all this viral invasion, which also requires good calories. But it's the Nativity fast. Meat, chicken and dairy products should not be eaten.

What to do?

The answer is simple - you need to switch to seafood, which contains such a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that not every fast food can have its equivalent.

For example - squid! The recipe for an excellent squid dinner is in front of you. Cook, eat and strengthen your immunity!

Squid with nuts

4 squid carcasses, a handful of walnuts, 2 slices of white bread, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 spoon of vegetable oil.

Clean the squids and boil them for five minutes in boiling salted water. Cool, remove any remaining skin. Cut into strips and mix with the sauce (grince the nuts and garlic through a meat grinder; squeeze out the bread crumb soaked in water and, while whisking, gradually add in the nut-garlic paste, lemon juice and vegetable oil). Garnish with thin lemon slices.

Sailor's ear

100 g squid 100 g potatoes 1 parsley root 1 onion tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tbsp. spoon tomato paste 5 allspice peas 1 bay leaf salt

Wash the squid, cut into pieces, cover with cold water, add salt, peppercorns, bay leaf and cook for 5-10 minutes. Fry finely chopped onions with tomato paste in butter. Use the finished strained broth, add chopped potatoes, parsley root and cook until half cooked. Add fried onions, bring to readiness, sprinkle with herbs.

Hot saffron appetizer with tomato

1 cup boiled shredded. seaweed 1 cup boiled squid, cut into strips 1 onion 10-12 dates 2 tbsp. tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/2 teaspoon saffron

Cut the onion into strips, fry in vegetable oil, add boiled shredded seaweed, sliced ​​squid and fry for another 10-15 minutes. Pour the fried products with tomato sauce, bring to a boil, combine with finely chopped dates, sprinkle with chopped garlic and saffron.

Angela at mealtime! (Bon appetit!)

And God grant us all more health, for the main health is in His hands, and not in squids!

A true Christian first of all cares about his mental health and only then about his physical health. The period of fasting is a special time for spiritual endeavors, “an auspicious time, this is the day of salvation.”

Physical abstinence cannot be absolutely categorical; it must be within the power of the believer. According to the church charter, origins are considered. Fish and seafood are marine animals and are classified as semi-lenten foods. And if eating fish dishes during Lent is permissible only on holidays (for example, Palm Sunday), then there is no consensus on the question of whether it is possible to eat squid during Lent.

Different opinions

In the Old Testament writings, there was a strict prohibition against eating without feathers and scales. Later, church views underwent some changes, and Christians of different nationalities were ordered to eat in accordance with national traditions.

The question of whether seafood can be constantly consumed during Lent does not have a clear answer today. A number of clergy believe that shellfish can be eaten on Saturdays and Sundays. Some are of the opinion that “sea reptiles” should be cooked along with fish only on major holidays. There are also those spiritual people who do not wonder whether it is possible to eat squid during Lent - they are firmly convinced of the impossibility of this.

It would be right if a Christian consults with his spiritual mentor on this issue. A wise person will take many factors into account before giving instruction. What matters is the age of the believer, his physical health, character traits and life experience.

Is it possible to eat squid during Lent? The final decision, of course, remains with the Christian.

Need to know

There are about two hundred varieties of squid in the seas and oceans. Not all of them are edible. The most common squid in cooking is common squid. The mollusk consists of 80% water, so during heat treatment it significantly decreases in volume.

Squid meat is recommended by many diets; it is rich in various beneficial substances. This is a source of easily digestible protein that can be eaten even by small children. Thanks to taurine, the human body is freed from cholesterol, which helps normalize cardiovascular activity. Iodine stabilizes the functioning of the thyroid gland, and vitamin E and selenium help cleanse the body of toxins. According to many doctors, squid meat is much healthier than animal meat.

Modern cooking offers a lot of recipes. Shellfish meat goes well with vegetables, fruits, herbs, and rice. Squid is used to prepare snacks, salads, hot dishes, soups and even desserts. To prepare lean squid, you should use only plant ingredients.

Comment

For older people, children and people weakened by illness, there should be no doubt about whether it is possible to eat squid during Lent. Of course, they need to consume this product.

During Lent, from March 11 to April 27, 2019, which is the longest and strictest of the year, believers limit their diet, refusing to eat animal products. “Is it allowed to eat seafood during Lent?” – some people are interested.

And if this is allowed by church charter, then what seafood can you eat during Lent? Does this apply to all of their groups or just certain ones? In particular, is it possible to eat squid and shrimp while Lent lasts?” We will answer these and other questions.

Is it possible to eat seafood during Lent?

It must be said that seafood refers neither to fish nor meat, but to cold-blooded, invertebrate, that is, to bloodless living beings. Even the Athonite monks ate such food (although, according to the ancient charter, it was then equated with plants).

But our monks, when asked whether eating seafood is allowed during Lent, answered negatively. After all, they cannot be classified as plant foods; they are marine animals. By the way, modern science also classifies them as animals.

It should be recalled that one of the goals of fasting people is to learn to control their desires, as well as humility and moderation. Bodily abstinence is a certain sacrifice that we make to God. So if you consider seafood a delicacy, then on certain days of fasting it is better to give it up.

It will be easier for you to comply with such dietary restrictions if you create a menu in such a way that it includes foods that are familiar to you, although without ingredients of animal origin.

The basis of the diet these days usually consists of cereals: oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, pearl barley and others. They are used to prepare porridges, soups, casseroles, cereals, lean pancakes, pancakes, etc. Many dishes are prepared from vegetables and fruits. They are boiled, stewed, baked, and eaten raw. Beans, nuts, and greens are also allowed at this time.

Is it possible to eat squid and shrimp during Lent?

As aquatic animals, they are closest to fish, which means it would be logical to eat them on days when fish can be eaten.

In some monasteries, during Lent, it is allowed to include seafood in the diet on holidays that fall during this period, as well as on weekends - Saturdays and Sundays, and in some parishes such dishes are also prepared on days when hot food with butter is possible.

As for fish, it is allowed by church charter on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday. The holidays celebrated by the Orthodox Church at this time also include Lazarus Saturday, when fish caviar can be served, but only red.

For a long time in Rus', it was considered ordinary food, and not a delicacy, which is why its use is not prohibited by monastic regulations. But you can’t eat black caviar.

When can lay people eat seafood during Lent?

The answer to the question of what seafood can be consumed and when during Lent will be incomplete without mentioning that the strict church regulations are intended mainly for monks. For the laity, various concessions are provided.

Let us remind you that there are several degrees of fasting:

• very strict – dry eating, when they eat only uncooked plant foods without vegetable oil;
• strict - eat boiled vegetable food with vegetable oil;
• usual, when fish is also included in the diet.

There are exceptions for people with poor health: they are allowed to eat all foods except meat. Avoiding consumption of fish and seafood is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, small children, and people engaged in mental work. Hard physical work is also a reason for fasting to be less strict.

By agreement with the priest, you can adhere to a certain diet during the days of Lent, individually deciding whether you can eat seafood during this period of time.

Seafood contains a large amount of protein (up to 19%), B vitamins, which improve metabolic processes in the body and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Seafood is rich in calcium, magnesium, selenium, copper, while at the same time it is low in fat. Shrimp and other shellfish contain large amounts of iodine, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland.

Also, the meat of shrimp, squid, oysters, mussels, crabs, lobsters, scallops, cuttlefish, and lobsters contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, which normalize blood pressure, remove “bad” cholesterol, improve the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and help strengthen the immune system.

If giving up animal protein is quite a serious test for you, then in order to withstand fasting, you can allow yourself some fish or seafood, including squid and shrimp, during Lent.

Seafood, by the way, is absorbed by the human body faster and better than meat. They are eaten fresh, boiled, fried, baked, pickled and stuffed.

The choice of them in our stores is quite large, they are available to us literally all year round, and if you wish, you can create a menu from them to your liking. And it’s up to you to decide which seafood is best to eat during Lent.