Not only is Greece the land of gorgeous destinations, but it is also the land of festivals and feasts. Each town and village has its own patron saint, and each saint has its feast day with much food, drink, music and dancing in the central square–and most Greeks are named after these saints and will also feast on their name-days, which are more important than birthdays (because everyone knows your name!). On August 27, there was a unique saint’s day–Agios Fanourios. I learned about this saint and the special cake–Fanouropita— made on the eve of his day while I lived on the beautiful island of Skiathos (1995-1996). Saint Fanourios is said to reveal (faneronei in Greek) things hidden or lost. In Skiathos, one tradition was for unmarried girls to put a piece beside their pillow so that their future husband would be revealed. I, however, had already been engaged and was planning my wedding, which was taking place on the island the following summer (1996), so I ate my piece instead–it was delicious! The fanouropita can be made at other times of the year, especially if you want to ask the saint to help you find something–more on that and the history below. According to tradition, if you follow the instructions below, you can ask for something to be revealed. I have included the recipe below. This is a vegan cake–it was originally made by monks. There are quite a few vegan sweets and dishes, as pious Greeks fast around 180-200 days per year, which means they eat absolutely no products that come from animals that have red blood. Therefore, no products from land animals or fish are consumed. The exceptions are mollusks and shellfish, whose blood it seems is not red.
Agios Fanourios : The legend (borrowed from this article)
“As the story goes, Saint Fanourios’ mother was a sinner, loved only by her son. Never showing remorse for her sins, after her death, the mother was sent to hell, but that didn’t change Saint Fanourios’ wish to save her soul. Fanouropita is baked not as a tribute to the saint, but in memory of his mother, and before eating a piece, you should say the prayer “God forgive the mother of Saint Fanourios” (“Θεός σχωρέσει τη μάνα του Αη Φανούρη”) . As a thank you, the saint will bring back something that you have lost.
The origin of the legend is unknown; not much supports it as very little is actually known about Saint Fanourios, whose icon was first found on the island of Rhodes on the 27th of August ca 1500 AD. Nonetheless, the tradition of blessing fanouropitas has been embraced by the church and the orthodox community. If you do bake one and bring it to church, know that you should share it with the parishioners – at least seven pieces should be handed out at the church.
The cake consists of seven or nine ingredients, symbolizing the sacred mysteries, or sacraments, of the church. There are many versions, but olive oil, flour and sugar are the basic ingredients, and orange is a common flavor” I heard that if you make it with 7 ingredients, the saint will reveal what you ask, but if you make it with 9, he will perform miracles! I find that most recipes include raisins and chopped walnuts and some use sweet wine or brandy. I am doing mine with brandy, but without raisins so that my son will eat a piece, and if I put walnuts, it would be 10 ingredients!
Recipe for Fanouropita: (this recipe is the base for most vegan cakes, which can include any nuts or dried fruit as well)
1. 280 gr EVGE EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2. 290 gr powdered sugar
3. 110 gr sweet red wine OR brandy (I use Metaxa 5 star)
4. 330 gr freshly squeezed orange juice (in tall pitcher) and the zest of 2 oranges
5. 1tsp soda (to mix with the orange juice–this is why the OJ needs to be in a tall pitcher as it will rise and bubble when mixed)
6. 1tsp baking powder
7. 1tsp cinnamon
8. 1/2 tsp ground cloves
9. 500gr all purpose flour
Pre-heat oven to 350F (convection).
1. In a mixing bowl, put the olive oil, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves and whisk together until well mixed and creamy.
2. Add the wine/brandy and mix well.
3. Dissolve the soda in the orange juice (in a tall pitcher and over the mixing bowl in case it spills over) and mix with the other liquids.
4. Mix the baking powder with the flour and add to the liquid mixture, stirring just until the flour has been absorbed and it resembles a thick batter (be careful not to over mix).
5. Pour batter into lightly oiled 9×11 pan and cook in hot oven for 50 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean from the center)
Wait until completely cooled to cut. Enjoy!!
