Religion and Food

Around the world people celebrate religious occasions of importance by preparing certain dishes... Here we have a look at those from our own countries.

France, Morocco, Germany, Vietnam, Ireland and Spain

Food and ReligionChristianity - The regulations governing food

The ritual of the transubstantiation (changing) of bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ is believed to occur at communion. Roman Catholics fast for at least one hour prior to communion. Fasting is sometimes considered to be 'praying with the body'. Self-denial (of food) can help Christians to remember that having what you want is not always the path to happiness. Variations of fasting or abstinence are observed by some Roman Catholics on such occasions as Lent or Good Friday; for example, some may strictly avoid meat at this time. Most Protestants observe only Easter and Christmas as feast days, and don't follow ritualised fasting. Mormons avoid caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. The majority of Seventh Day Adventists don't eat meat or dairy products, and are likely to avoid many condiments including mustard. Those that do eat meat don't eat pork.

Food and ReligionIslam - Regulations surrounding food are called 'halal'.

Prohibited foods are called 'haram'. It is thought that the Creator turns a deaf ear to a Muslim who eats haram foods. The list of haram foods includes pork, alcohol, foods that contain emulsifiers (as emulsifiers may be made from animal fats), tinned vegetables, frozen vegetables with sauce, particular margarines, and bread or bread products that contain dried yeast. Gelatine can be made from pig and, since pork is haram, products containing gelatine are forbidden. Caffeinated drinks such as coffee are sometimes considered haram. Certain religious dates, such as Eid al-Fitr, demand fasting from dawn till dusk. Some Muslims choose to fast on Mondays or Thursdays or both. The month of Ramadan requires mandatory fasting during sunlight hours, as do particular dates of religious significance, such as the ninth day of Zul Hijjah.

Topics....European Feasts

Shrove TuesdayAsh WednesdaySt. Patricks DayEaster – France, Germany, SpainSt. JohnsHalloweenSt. Martins Day

Moroccan FeastsVietnamese Feasts

Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (literally Fat Tuesday) - the day before Ash Wednesday

From the word shriven or "shrovetide" , which means you are cleansed of your sins

Time to use up fat, eggs and dairy products before Lent

Decreed by God that we should have a feast on Shrove Tuesday, so it would be rude not to !

Visit to pub required.. as last day before

lent !!

Shrove TuesdayIreland

Ash Wednesday First day of lent: Ash Wednesday

Burn the Carnival PuppetBury the Sardine

Lent is represented as an old woman with seven legs and a cod

Spain

Ash Wednesday

Spain

St. Patricks Day....

There is really only one food consumed on This Irish national holiday.....

the black stuff !!

Ireland

„Guinness is good for you“

Ireland

EasterThis Christian holiday celebrates the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus.

For Christians who have fasted during Holy Week or Lent, the joyousness of this day is celebrated by once more eating meat and other rich foods

France

Easter

Most easter customs can be traced back to pre-Christian, pagan rites and celebrations related to the arrival of spring

Easter features symbols of fertility and new birth

In the western church, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox

Germany

French Easter Tradition

Cloche Volant or Flying Bells Legend

French church bells do not ring from Good Friday to Easter morning.

Main Course for Easter in France

Feasting on lamb

In northern France, jambon persillé

In southern France, the preference is for lamb roasted with garlic and rosemary.

Salade de Pissenlits is also popular.

France

Dessert for EasterMany European countries have Easter breads or cakes.

Hot cross buns are popular. Regional specialties include simnel cake.

France

Easter in GermanyEaster is started by covering the cross on

Good Friday. On this day we eat dishes which have fish in them.

Mass on Saturday evening that continues until Sunday morning. On the night of Easter Sunday, the Germans light big bonfires

On Sunday it is Family Day on this day we have a special Easter lunch: Easter lamb, chicken and eggs are typical dishes as well as sweet food such as cookies, cake which is shaped like a lamb and chocolate

Germany

Easter in SpainThe whole week is celebrated in Spain, starting with Palm Sunday

Godmother is the one in charge to buy a palm for her godson or goddaughter

Processions are held during Good Thursday and Good Friday eveningsMeat is not allowed

Big feast of fish and seafood!Some regions: cod, omelette, prune, pine nut and artichoke (Cassola de divendres Sant)

Spain

Palm

Spain

Easter in Spain

Spain

Only some regions celebrate Easter MondayGodfathers are preparing “La Mona”

Sponge cake with jam and fruits or sweet butterDecorated with colourful feathersOne chocolate egg is added on top for each year of age of the godson or goddaughterIt is nowadays replaced by a chocolate figureTraditionally eaten during a picnic

St. John‘s - SpainSome regions celebrate St. John Reminiscence of a pagan rite

Summer SolsticeNight of FireEach neighbourhood has a bonfire and fireworksYou cannot sleep during the whole night

Typical pastry:Flat cake with pine peanuts and glass sugarFlat sponge cake with fruits

Spain

Other feasts?Epiphany – Adoration of the Three Wizard Kings

Ring shaped flat cake with glazed fruitA bean and a figure are hidden inside

All Saints – Visit the graveyardsGrilled hazelnuts and sweet potatoesSmall cakes made with marzipan, sweet potato and pine nuts

Saint JosephFather’s day“Crème brulée”

Spain

Halloween

Celebrated as Samhain by celtsFeast of the DeadMarked end of Summer and start of WinterCatholic church – All Saints DayNight before became ‚All Hallows Eve‘ thus Halloween

Ireland

Halloween

ColcannonPotatoes & Cabbage & Onions (no meat eaten)The name is from ‘cal ceann fhionn’ meaning white-headed cabbage

BarmbrackFruit breadGold Ring MarriagePenny WealthCloth PoorButton Spinsterhood /Batchelorhood

Ireland

St. Martin‘s Day

11th of November: name-day of the holy Martin,

the saint of the catholic church

Martin was the son of a heathen-roman tribun

He was born in 316 in Hungary

He was a knight in Roman times who has

converted to a christian

According to legend, St. Martin charitably cut

his cloak into two with his sword and shared it

with a beggar who was about to freeze to death.

Germany

Some Religious Feasts in Morocco

Aid al-Fitr Muharram Islamic New Year Mawlid al-Nabi (Prophet Muhammad birthday)Aïd al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)

Aïd al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)

•Eid al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar.

•Concludes the Pilgrimage to Mecca.

•Commemorates Ibraham's (Abraham) willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son.

•Allowed to sacrifice a ram instead.

•The feast re-enacts Ibrahim's obedience by sacrificing a cow or ram.

•Celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja

Morocco

The Islamic calendar (or Hijri calendar)

Purely lunar calendar. Contains 12 months that are based on the motion of the moon, and because 12 synodic months is only 12 x 29.53=354.36 days, the Islamic calendar is consistently shorter than a tropical year. and therefore it shifts with respect to the Christian calendar. Morocco uses the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes and only turn to the Islamic calendar for religious purposes.

Muslim Calendar

1. Muharram 7. Rajab

2. Safar 8. Sha'ban

3. Rabi' al-awwal (Rabi' I) 9. Ramadan

4. Rabi' al-thani (Rabi' II) 10. Shawwal

5. Jumada al-awwal (Jumada I) 11. Dhu al-Qi'dah

6. Jumada al-thani (Jumada II)       12. Dhu al-Hijjah

Moroccan Feast Food

Typical Moroccan food habits

Hand using

One plate for everybody

Morocco

Aïd al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)

Grilled meat

Couscous

Mchoui, pit-roasted mutton

Tajine is a stew, often rich and fragrant, using marinated lamb or chicken

Morocco

Aïd al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)Desserts:

kab-el-ghzal

Fekkas

Msemmen

Mint Tea

Morocco

Vietnamese Culture and Cooking

Vietnamese culture has been influenced by China, India and FranceThey are very proud people, they respect to elder, superior and strangersGreeting and Food is generally relatedVietnamese cooking is almost similar to the Chinese except that they use less fat/oilDaily/basic foods is rice (compared to bread in France) vegetables, fish, eggs and meatFruit is often served as dessert or a snack-banana, mangos, oranges, papayas

Vietnam

Vietnamese Cooking cont’d

They are lactose intolerant, milk and cheese are not common but things are changingThey drink a great amount of plain green tea and black coffeeDaily meals consist of breakfast, lunch and dinnerMeals are rarely divided into courses, served at the same time“Nuoc mam” is a common sauce made of fermented fish-the long coastline allows itChopstick and small bowl are used for eating

Vietnam

Main celebrationsLunar new yearWandering Souls Day Foods and gifts are given to the wandering souls of the forgotten dead New year-western calendarThe independent day-September,2nd

“Gio” day, the day organized annually to commemorate the deceased family people -basing on the lunar year- the ancestor’s altarOther national and public days

Vietnam

Traditional dishes for celebrations

Banh trung, banh day hand made by family members-must have!Nem, Cha gio, dried bamboo shoot soupPickled onionVermicelli noodles and chicken innards Many dishes are daily invented as the influx of world integration and economic development Fried or boiled chicken Carp with galangal Sticky rice (xoi gac)Bean pudding Preserved fruit

Vietnam

“Love and business and family and religion and art and patriotism are nothing but shadows of words when a man is starving.”O. Henry, ‘Heart of the West'

“If there is anything we are serious about, it is neither religion nor learning, but food.”Lin Yutang, My Country and My People

“In England there are sixty different religions, and only one sauce." Domenico Caracciolo - attributed, 18th century

“Mayonnaise: One of the sauces which serve the French in place of a state religion.”Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary (1842-1914)

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