Kathara Deftera

Lagana with Garlicky Olives, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Rosemary is not your classic Greek flatbread traditionally baked for Clean Monday, but a twist you can make year around.

  Lagana is a delicious flatbread which is usually baked  on the first day of Lent of the Orthodox Easter.    This year I wanted to make something different from the classic Lagana so I made it with olives and rosemary. I prepared the dough from the previous day so that I could bake it early …

“Nistisimes Syntages” are the Lenten recipes the Orthodox can eat during fasting periods. The Orthodox religion has a lot of fasting periods. The period of the Great Lent starts on Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday) and this period is called Saracosti.

Lagana (in Greek λαγάνα, pronounced lah-GHAH-nah) is a traditional Greek flatbread, which is made with flour, yeast, salt and water.

Kathara Deftera, which means Clean Monday marks the beginning of Lent. During this period the Orthodox abstain from eating meat and dairy products.