The time to celebrate and embrace the period of Lent is upon us again.

On Wednesday, March 2^nd, millions of Christians around the world will gather to kick off the sacred time of fasting, faith, and spiritual renewal known as Lent. In the Christian calendar, Lent is the most important period of fasting that leads to the celebration of Easter.

In the Holy bible Matthew 4:2-3 states, "After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, if you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Roughly 40 days of religious observation occur each spring and begin with the tradition of the holy day, Ash Wednesday whereby many Christian believers place ashes on their foreheads during church masses as a symbol of mortality and repentance. 

For those looking for vegetarian dishes to enjoy during the religious period, here are two famous Jordanian mezze dishes, "muttabal" and "baba ghanouj," which are eggplant dips that are easy to make in the comfort of one’s own home. They are made by local enterprise Beit Sitti in Jordan's capital city of Amman that offers cooking classes, dining experiences, and online recipes focused on Jordanian dishes.

JTBNA wishes everyone a happy Lent season!