More than 500,000 lagans they will bake on Clean Monday (18/3) the 650 bakers of the prefecture of Thessaloniki, with its price remaining at last year’s levels, i.e. 2.50 to 2.60 euros/piece, as the president of the Thessaloniki Bakers’ Association “The Prophet Elias” Elsa Koukumeria, vice-president of the Federation of Bakers of Greece, points out speaking to APE-MPE.

“90% of consumers vote for traditional lagana”she emphasizes and clarifies that “there are of course those who want them “stuffed” with – among other things – olives, peppers and mushrooms and these will be sold again this year, just like last year, from 3 to 3.20 euros/piece “, he characteristically notes.

The bakers of the prefecture of Thessaloniki had for the first time increased the price of lagana in 2019, when previously for eleven years they had kept it unchanged and a second one of the order of 7% followed in 2023, as a result of up to 50% price increases in raw materials last year, but also of the exact energy, as Ms. Koukoumeria reminds.

As far as the bakers’ expectations for the traffic in the bakeries are concerned Green Monday, the president of “Profetis Ilias” appeared optimistic, saying that “even if the consumers go outside and I hope the weather is good to go out, early in the morning they will definitely go to the bakery in their neighborhood to get at least one hot lagana. We Greeks remain loyal to traditions”, he emphasizes.

In this context, she expresses her satisfaction and gratitude for the relationship of trust that bakers and consumers have regained and now maintain over the last three years and notes that the majority of citizens now remain “loyal” to traditional bakeries.

“Citizens are now suspicious consumers and being more educated, but also restrained in their purchases, they “vote” their neighborhood stores”, he notes characteristically and even adds that “they fully understand any price increases we are forced to do from time to time, due to the accuracy generally. After all, we talk every day. We know each other’s pain and the financial difficulty that exists for all of us,” he adds.

Ms. Koukumeria points out that the preparation of the traditional lagana, which is done by hand, is a painstaking 12-hour process and on Maundy Monday, each oven will have to work from 9:00 p.m. on Sunday night until 3:00 p.m. at noon the following day, in order to meet the demand (up to 700 pieces the average consumption per store). This, according to her, makes it clear that the baker should pay triple the daily wage, “at a time when the profit margin for the baker is now zero”.

The traditional custom of lagana

The traditional custom of lagana plays a leading role in the fasting table of Clean Monday. Laganah is unleavened bread, meaning it is made without leaven, and it appears to have been used by the Israelites on the night of their Exodus from Egypt under the guidance of Moses. From then on, it was enforced by the Mosaic Law for all the days of the Passover until Christ at his last Passover blessed the leavened bread.

The history of lagana runs through the entire nutritional tradition from ancient times to the present day. Aristophanes in the “Ecclesiastes” says “Lagana falls”, while Horace in his texts, mentions the lagana as “The sweetening of the poor”.

The custom of lagana has remained unchanged over the centuries and it is customarily prepared with love by the neighborhood baker, crispy luscious and sesame seeds and consumed on Clean Monday, the First Monday of Lent.

As for the reason why this particular Monday is called “Clean”, it is said that the name came from the habit that housewives had in the morning of this day to wash all kitchen utensils with hot water and ashes, as a “day of purification”. They were then hung in place, where they remained until the end of the fast. Also, on this day, everyone would go out as a family to the countryside, lay down on the ground and eat fasting foods such as halva, olives, tarama and – of course – lagana.