Easter, Ramadan, and Eid al-Fitr—amid COVID-19 lockdowns, religious celebrations have looked different this year. Thankfully, they don’t have to taste different.

Most of us are still practicing our faith with social distancing, but staying home is the perfect way to venture into new recipes and maybe even taste a new religious tradition. 

Next up this summer are the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Eid al-Adha and Raksha Bandhan. We’ve compiled two recipes from each holiday to help you celebrate. Let us know in the comments what religion recipes are the most popular in your kitchen!

The Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul

The Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is a Catholic holiday celebrated on June 29 worldwide, but especially in Rome. The day observes the martyrdom of saint Peter and Saint Paul. After the Virgin Mary, these are the most important saints of the Catholic church. In Rome, many usually celebrate by spending the day in the city, eating street food, and attending the firework display in Piazza del Popolo. This year, celebrations will take place around the dinner table at home.

Porchetta Pork Roast

Porchetta is a popular Italian street food. To celebrate the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, there is usually a street fair around the Basilica of Saint Paul with lots of food to try.

These recipes for roasted pork seasoned with a variety of Italian herbs and spices will not disappoint. Porchetta is traditionally made by deboning and rolling an entire pig. Try an easier recipe that still gives you all of the authentic flavors here. If you want to go all in, try a more traditional take on Porchetta here. 

Zeppole

Zeppole is another popular Italian street food and dessert. It originated in Naples and is similar to a donut or beignet. They are commonly served with cream, chocolate or jelly. 

These fluffy, fried balls of dough are dusted with powdered sugar before served. What makes Zeppole different from other fired pastries is the dough. Made with a pate choux dough, this dessert is a light and airy treat. Try it here.

Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha is a Muslim holiday celebrated during the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar, Dhu al-Hijjah, based on lunar settings. The celebration begins July 31 this year. It is also known as the as the Feast of Sacrifice and is the second great Muslim festival following Eid- al Fitr. The feast concludes the Pilgrimage to Mecca and traditionally lasts three days. It commemorates Ibrahim’s willingness to obey Allah’s command to sacrifice his son.

Spiced Vegetable Tagine

While it is popular to prepare dishes containing mutton or lamb during Eid-al Adha, there are also many vegetarian dishes made for the feast. Tagine is popular in Morocco and can be prepared vegetarian style or traditionally with lamb. 

This colorful dish is traditionally served to share communally, making it the perfect dish to share with those you are quarantined with. The variety of vegetables makes for a vibrant dish, full of flavor. It is sometimes served over couscous but is almost always served with Moroccan bread to scoop up the mixture of vegetables and sauce. Try it here. 

Maamoul

Maamoul is a popular pastry from Lebanon that Muslims eat at night during Ramadan and during the Eid-al Fitr and Eid-al Adha holidays. Maamoul is also prepared by Arab Christians and Greeks before Lent, on Easter and on the feast of Epiphany.

This pastry is traditionally stuffed with a date paste but can also be filled with pistachios, almonds, and walnuts and is sometimes topped with powdered sugar. The ingredients and preparation for this dish are simple, but shaping the pastries into the little, half circle domes can be challenging. This recipe makes 45 maamoul because it’s traditionally made in large quantities. Maamoul is also traditionally made with specific molds but can be made without them. If done correctly, the dough should melt in your mouth, making this the perfect holiday treat.

Try it here.  

Raksha Bandhan 

Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival celebrated on the full moon of the Hindu month, Shraavana. The festival will be on August 3 this year. The festival celebrates the love and bond between brothers and sisters. Sisters give their brother sweets and tie Rakhi around their brother’s wrist to symbolize their bond. The brother then renews his vow to protect his sister.

Paneer Tikka

Many celebrate Raksha Bandhan with a three-course meal. Paneer tikka is a traditional Indian dish that is most commonly served as an appetizer but can serve as a main meal as well if you’re short on time. 

Paneer, a common mild cheese in India, is paired with onion and bell peppers and marinated in spices and yogurt. It is traditionally grilled in a tandoor, a clay oven, but can also be broiled in an oven. If you want to make it as a main meal instead of an appetizer, meat can be added to make a chicken tikka.

Try it here.

Chocolate Burfi

The sweets eaten on Raksha Bandhan are a staple of the holiday. Arguably, the best sisters show their brother love by making homemade desserts rather than simply buying them. If you’re fortunate enough to spend time with family during the pandemic, making and eating burfi, a milk-based sweet, is a great way to bond: there is a flavor for everyone, and it takes only 20 minutes to make. Chocolate burfi is like an Indian fudge. Other popular burfis use coconut, egg, jackfruit, pistachios, mango and orange, to name a few.

Burfi is also a popular sweet during Diwali, one of the most popular Hindu festivals. Try a recipe here.

Haeven Gibbons is an intern at The Media Project and a journalism student at Texas Christian University. She works as a producer for the TCU "News Now" newscast, as a photojournalist for TCU360 and as a writer for IMAGE magazine.