A funeral dinner: a menu. What to prepare for a wake?

The death of a loved one is a great sorrow. But, unfortunately, it can not be avoided. If an expensive person has died, relatives have many questions. Where to bury? How to think over a funeral dinner, menu? Is the dining room or cafe better suited for such an event? And this is not a complete list of issues. Today we will talk specifically about the funeral.

This meal is not just a meal, but a ritual, during which relatives remember the deceased, his good deeds. During this event, people read a prayer addressed to God. They ask to forgive the deceased all his sins. Of course, that properly should be thought over a memorial dinner, the menu of which must be made correctly. To make it easier for you to determine the list of dishes, we will tell you what to prepare for this event and why.

Principles of a funeral dinner

The dinner itself should be simple. Its main goal is to maintain the physical and mental strength of those who came to remember the deceased. Everything must be prepared from fresh products. That's what a funeral dinner should be like. Its menu can be varied. Here everything depends on the traditions of the family, wealth, and preferences of people who will come to remember. Although, of course, traditionally do not invite guests, they themselves come.

A memorial dinner is not a feast, during which it is necessary to feed the newcomers to the dump. The purpose of the funeral is to saturate guests, thank them for their participation, remember the deceased, pray for his soul. Here, as you know, the main thing is not food, but people - dead and alive, who were united by the sorrow of parting.

We are planning a memorial dinner

The menu will be described a little later, now we will consider the main dishes that should be at this dinner. Firstly, it's kutya (the second option is kolivo). What it is? This is a sweet porridge, cooked from grains (rice, barley and other), sweetened with honey and raisins. This dish is consecrated at the funeral service. Grain here is a symbol of the resurrection of the soul, and honey and raisins designate spiritual sweetness.

What do you need?

The list of products is small:

• 0.5 kg of rice;
• 200 grams of dried apricots;
• Three tbsp. L. Honey;
• Nuts (optional);
• 200 grams of raisins;
• 1 liter of water (for soaking).

How is the dish prepared? For the night or for several hours, soak the grains in the water. This is necessary in order for the porridge to turn friable. You need to cook until ready. Toward the end, add honey, diluted with water, as well as raisins and dried apricots. And so it turns out kutya.

Borscht

This is another necessary dish. We need five liters of water:

• 700 grams of meat on the bone (best of all beef);
• Three potatoes;
• Two onions;
• One beet (small);
• Three tomatoes;
• One pepper is Bulgarian (it is best to use red or green);
• One cabbage;
• Several peas of black pepper;
• greenery;
• salt.

We cook borscht for a memorial dinner

For such a dish, a broth of meat on bone is first prepared (cooked for two hours). After that, you need to pour the cut potatoes. Then take the frying pan, pour oil into it, put it on the stove, pour the small onions cut into it. After three minutes, add carrots and beets to the pan (of course, also cut). If the beets are treated this way, they can preserve their color.

Carrots will acquire a bright, orange tinge. Vegetables need to be fried in a pan until they become soft. Remember that carrots, onions and beets retain their taste and the greatest amount of vitamins when cooked on high heat. Then pour out the contents of the pan into the broth, cook a little everything, add the chopped cabbage, bay leaf, a few black peppercorns, chopped tomatoes and sweet pepper.

We cook for another 15 minutes. Then we need to try the dish and salt it. Then you can turn off the fire and remove borsch from the plate. Serve the dish hot, with sour cream. You can sprinkle with herbs.

Sweet

You can buy pies, but you can bake them yourself. We offer a recipe for puffs with a banana. What do you need?

• Packing of the finished dough (500 g);
• Bananas (gram 200-300);
• Powdered sugar (to taste).

We cook sweet for the wake

Take the finished puff pastry. Let it thaw, then roll it out. Then take the knife and draw them rectangles. On them lay out the banana stuffing (cut into small pieces of fruit). Then connect the edges of the dough so that the filling is completely in it. Next, pinch the products a little. Bake in preheated to 220 degrees oven for about fifteen minutes. Products should turn toasty. Sprinkle the finished slices with powdered sugar.

Compote

For preparation you can use both fresh and frozen fruits. The compote should not be sweet or too sour. How to cook? Put a five-liter pot of water on the fire, give it a boil, pour in the fruit (about 1 liter filled pot). Then add sugar (to taste) and cook until ready (about an hour).

The first version of the menu for thirty people

Now let's talk about what a funeral dinner should be like. The funeral menu can be different. We offer our:

• Kutia (one pot for two liters). The food is eaten immediately after reading the prayer. Everyone present at a funeral feast must take three spoons of coliva;
• Borsch (one five-liter saucepan);
• 30 fried thighs;
• Fish in batter (two carcass will be enough);
• Three pieces of herring (cut into slices);
• Mashed potatoes (one pan);
• Cutting of sausage and cheese (700 grams of each product);
• Cutlets (30 pieces, about 3 kg of stuffing);
• Salad of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes or vinaigrette (kilogram two);
• Pickled cucumbers and tomatoes (kilograms and a half);
• Buns are sweet (two pieces for each guest);
• Candy (two kinds per guest, about 1.5 kg);
• Five bottles of mineral water;
• Three bottles of vodka and the same amount of Cahors.

If you will spend a funeral dinner for a year, the menu is quite suitable for this event. Kutyu, however, can be removed from the list. It is a mandatory dish only at the funeral after the funeral. And then - as you wish.

The second version of the menu for 12 people

Now we will analyze the approximate menu of a funeral dinner in a cafe or at home (for forty days). So, the list of products:

• Fish fried in batter (kilogram two);
• Mashed potatoes (kilograms 2.5-3);
• Salad "Olivier" (kilograms two);
• Cutlets (pieces of 12, about 1.2 kg of stuffing);
• Sandwiches with red fish or sprats;
• Pies with cabbage or potatoes (pieces 12-15);
• Salted cucumbers and tomatoes (about 1 kg);
• 5 liters of liquid (water + juice + compote)
• Sweets and sweet pies (optional).

If you plan to spend another funeral dinner later, the menu for six months, for example, may be the same. Although, of course, you can correct the list of dishes at your discretion.

Lean

Thinking over everything, pay attention to whether the wake has fallen on the post. If the answer is positive, then you need to correct the funeral dinner (menu). The casual set of dishes will not only be appropriate. But even necessary. What to prepare for such a wake? How to correct the usual menu, making it lean? Now let's make an exemplary list of dishes:

• Uzvar;
• Lean borsch;
• Kutya;
• Lenten pancakes ;
• Lean pies ;
• potatoes with mushrooms;
• Cabbage or carrot chops;
• Vegetable salad (cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers);
• the vinaigrette.

Alcohol

We have described in detail how to think over the funeral dinner, we also discussed its menu. Now we will touch on one more important topic. "Which?" You ask. Is it worth spending alcohol during a memorial? There is no clear answer to this question. Some priests believe that during a funeral dinner you can drink some red wine. The church condemns the use of alcoholic beverages during such a rite. Therefore, here you must decide for yourself whether you need alcohol at a memorial dinner or not.

Conclusion

Now you know how to make a funeral dinner. We have examined the menu in detail. We offered you a couple of options for sample lists of dishes for a funeral feast. We hope that our advice has helped you decide on the choice of food for such a dinner.