Revithia: A Greek Chickpea Soup with Lemon for Orthodox Lent
On the Greek islands, revithia is not just a soup; it is an institution. In village ovens and monastery kitchens alike, chickpeas go into the pot with water, onion, garlic and patience, and come out hours later in a broth turned golden and almost creamy, sharpened at the last moment with lemon and a snowfall of oregano. It is the soup of Lent par excellence — six plain ingredients, no meat, and a flavour far larger than the sum of its parts.
The classic island preparation finishes the soup with a great deal of olive oil, whisked in to thicken and enrich the broth — that is the version for wine-and-oil days. This recipe keeps revithia for the strict days instead: no oil at any stage, and the broth's body comes from the chickpeas themselves, a ladleful blended smooth and stirred back in. It is slower food for slower days, and it asks only that you start it in the morning and let the stove do the work.
Ingredients
- 500 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of water
- 1 medium onion (about 120 g), finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- About 1.25 litres hot water, plus more as needed
- 3 tbsp dried oregano
- 3–4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp fine salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
- Drain the soaked chickpeas. Put them in a large pot with plenty of fresh water, bring to the boil, boil for 2 minutes, then drain again and rinse — this first boil cleans the chickpeas and makes them gentler to digest.
- Sweat the onion and garlic in the empty pot with a splash of water for a few minutes, until softened — on a strict day they soften in water, not oil.
- Add the chickpeas and the hot water. Season with the salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for 2–3 hours, until the chickpeas are completely tender; the exact time depends on the chickpeas, so start tasting after 2 hours.
- To give the broth body without oil, ladle out a cup or two of chickpeas and liquid, blend until smooth, and stir it back into the pot. Simmer 10 minutes more, uncovered, until the soup is lightly thickened.
- Stir in the lemon juice and oregano and cook for 2 minutes more. Take off the heat and let the soup rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve hot, with olives alongside if you like. (The feta and salt-cured fish that often accompany revithia on ordinary days are not part of the fasting table.)
Rule source: Orthodox fasting rule per the Typikon (chs. 32–33), as published in OCA and GOARCH fasting guidance: on a strict fast day, no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil are eaten.
Notes
- The oil-day version. On a wine-and-oil day, make the soup the classic island way: soften the onion and garlic in olive oil, and near the end stir in up to 180 ml of good extra-virgin olive oil and simmer, uncovered, until the broth emulsifies and thickens. That preparation belongs to a different level of the fast, so it is a different tag in our collection, not a footnote cheat.
- No avgolemono. Some chickpea soups are finished with egg and lemon. Egg is not permitted on any fast day below Cheesefare, so this soup's lemon stands alone — and is all the better for it.
- Canned shortcut. Two cans of chickpeas, drained, simmered in about 1 litre of hot water for 15–20 minutes with the onion, garlic, lemon and oregano, give a respectable weeknight version.
- Leftovers. Revithia keeps 4–5 days in the fridge and is famously good cold, as a salad, the next day.
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat revithia on a strict fast day?
Yes — as made here, with no oil. Chickpeas, onion, garlic, lemon and oregano are all permitted on strict days; it is the classic oil finish that belongs to oil days.
Why does the soup take so long?
Dried chickpeas need a long, gentle simmer to turn tender and to give up the starch that thickens the broth. A pressure cooker cuts the simmer to about 20 minutes at high pressure.
Can I use stock instead of water?
A plain vegetable stock is fine on a strict day. Chicken stock is never a fasting ingredient, and this soup does not need it. ---
