The Fanouropita is a cake from Greek cuisine and is traditionally a Lenten cake, also called “lost and found cake”.
It is traditionally prepared for the Feast of Fanourios on August 27th, given to Greek Orthodox believers as a blessing.
The cake is oil-based and does not contain butter or eggs so that it can also be eaten on Orthodox fasting days.
The fanouropita is traditionally made with seven, nine, or eleven ingredients, with the number varying by region. In its simplest version, it has only seven ingredients.
The essential and most common ingredients are: flour, olive oil, sugar, orange juice, baking powder, walnuts, and raisins. Other ingredients may include cinnamon, cloves, soda, and water.
The name fanouropita comes from the patron saint of Rhodes, Saint Phanourios. His name translates in Greek as “the one who reveals” (Greek verb: “φαίνω”). He is the saint of “lost things”.
Believers offer the cake expecting “revelations” about objects or people, or to find something they are looking for.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Greek
- Seasonality: All seasons, Easter
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1/2 cup orange juice (about 3 oranges)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup walnuts (coarsely chopped)
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Baking pan 24/25 cm
Steps
In a large bowl, combine the sifted flour with the baking powder. Add the sugar and mix.
Make a well in the center and add the olive oil, orange juice, water, walnuts, and salt. Mix everything until you get a homogeneous dough. The dough should be quite soft.
Pour the mixture into a greased pan or lined with parchment paper. Level the surface.Bake in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 40 minutes. If you like, you can dust it with powdered sugar.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is the story of Saint Fanourios
The tradition of fanouropita began around 1500 A.D., or 1355-1369 A.D., to venerate the icon of Saint Fanourios when it was discovered intact among the ruins of Rhodes.
In the local Orthodox tradition, Saint Fanourios has since been known as the patron saint of lost objects.
His mother was known as a cruel sinner, sent to hell because of her shameful life. Fanourios prayed for her soul to be saved, imploring God for her salvation.
Not much is known about the Saint’s life, with the first traces dating back to the discovery of the icon in a church in Rhodes.
The icon is divided into 12 images, at the center the depiction of Saint Fanourios and in the others, his martyrdom is depicted.
In the 14th century, when seeking to recover building materials from the ruins of some buildings, pagans or Muslim Turks found the remains of a small church in Rhodes. Among bricks and rubble, they found some icons.
Only one of them was in perfect condition, intact and vivid in colors: it depicted a young man with a halo and soldier’s attire, holding a cross supporting a lit candle in his right hand.
Beside his image, the inscription Fanourios, and around the central depiction, twelve scenes of martyrdom illustrating how the Saint endured various tortures for his faith, up to his final martyrdom.
Its perfect condition, considered miraculous in itself, the martyrdom, and the halo made the presumed Fanourios an object of devotion.
Until that moment, there was no knowledge or memory of him.
