Greek lagana bread, linked to lasagna’s name, is traditionally baked for Clean Monday.
Clean Monday, or Kathari Deftera, begins the Greek Orthodox Great Lent, the fasting period before Easter. Lagana is the festive flatbread associated with that day, when families traditionally eat it with olives, taramasalata, beans, vegetables, and other fasting foods.
The bread is usually flat and oval, with a surface marked by fingertip impressions. Sesame seeds are a common topping, and olive oil or herbs may be added. Older descriptions emphasize an unleavened dough, but modern commercial and homemade versions are often leavened, making them softer and breadier.
Lagana’s name comes from the ancient Greek laganon, a flat sheet or pastry dough. That word is one proposed ancestor of Italian lasagna, although lasagna’s etymology is debated and may also involve a Latin word for a cooking pot. The shared name does not mean Greek lagana is the same dish as layered Italian lasagna.