Tuesday
Hanuman's fasting day in India, Shrove Tuesday's ricotta lasagne in Naples, and taco night with crumbled Mexican cheese.
Tuesday gathers three customs with cheese at their edges. In Hindu practice it is Mangalvar, a common day for a vow to Hanuman. Once a year it is Shrove Tuesday, the last feast before Lent. And in North America, a weekly habit has made it taco night, when fresh and aged Mexican cheeses are crumbled over the plate.
Mangalvar fasting
Devotees of Hanuman who keep a Tuesday vow often eat a single meal, without onion and garlic and sometimes without ordinary salt. Milk, curd and fruit are common, and in many households a dish of paneer is part of the evening meal. Offerings at Hanuman temples are usually boondi laddoos and jaggery, while milk sweets made from chhena are shared at home. As with all fasts, the details are a family matter.
Shrove Tuesday
On the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, kitchens use up the rich foods that Lent discourages. In Naples it is the day of lasagne di Carnevale, layered with ricotta, mozzarella, meatballs and ragù, and in Sicily cannoli filled with sweet ricotta began as a Carnival sweet. Britain fries pancakes, and the Carnival parades of New Orleans and Rio end that night.
Taco Tuesday
In the United States and Canada, Taco Tuesday is a weekly habit of restaurants and families, and the cheeses are Mexican: crumbly fresh queso fresco, salty aged Cotija, and melted Oaxaca cheese in quesadillas. In Mexico itself, tacos are eaten every day of the week.
Traditions
- Mangalvar vrat: A Tuesday vow to Hanuman with simple meals.
- Shrove Tuesday: The feast before Lent, once a year.
- Taco Tuesday: A weekly North American habit of tacos and crumbled cheese.
The cheeses
Also part of it, and being written: Queso fresco (Crumbled fresh over tacos.).
Sources and further reading
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Customs differ by community and family, and are described here as tradition, not instruction. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.