Lent-observing Catholics are out in full force — well, at least those ordering in on Friday nights. Online food delivery service GrubHub, which serves more than 800 cities in the United States, analyzes Lenten orders annually. They found that people put their faith where their mouth is: Across the country, seafood orders spike and red meat orders drop on Fridays during Lent.

Nationally, red meat orders dropped by 4 percent, and seafood orders simultaneously rose by 4 percent last year.

Some cities, like Pittsburgh and Jersey City, primarily order more seafood, while others, such as Brighton in Massachusetts and Aurora in Colorado, sacrifice their typical red meat meals.

People living in the greater Boston area, in particular, are the country’s strictest Lent-observers, according to GrubHub. The neighborhood of Brighton experienced the largest decrease in red meat orders across the country, with a 15 percent drop. Just across the Charles River, Somerville had a 12 percent increase in seafood orders, placing it fourth in the nation for the largest spikes.

So what did people order instead of their usual meaty meals of chili, pork lo mein, and chicken cutlet parmigiana sandwiches? Mexican food is the clear winner. During the entire Lenten period:

  • Cheese enchilada orders rose 28 percent.
  • Guacamole and chips increased by 22 percent.
  • Shrimp burritos were ordered 20 percent more.

 

US cities with the largest spikes in seafood orders (by percent) based on national data from the 2014 Lenten period:

  • Pittsburgh, PA – 16%
  • Jersey City, NJ – 16%
  • Newark, DE – 14%
  • Somerville, MA – 12%
  • Trenton, NJ – 11%
  • Milwaukee, WI – 10%
  • Charlottesville, VA – 9%
  • Allston, MA – 8%
  • Medford, MA – 8%
  • Brighton, MA – 8%
  • Arlington, VA – 7%
  • Cambridge, MA – 7%
  • Los Angeles, CA – 6%
  • College Park, MD – 5%
  • Philadelphia, PA – 5%
  • Blacksburg, VA – 5%
  • Denver, CO – 5%
  • Houston, TX – 5%
  • Baltimore, MD – 5%
  • New York, NY – 4%

 

US cities with the largest drops in red meat orders (by percent) based on national data from the 2014 Lenten period:

  • Brighton, MA – 15%
  • Aurora, CO – 12%
  • Pittsburgh, PA – 10%
  • Charlottesville, VA – 10%
  • Champaign, IL  – 10%
  • Jersey City, NJ – 10%
  • Decatur, GA – 9%
  • White Plains, NY – 9%
  • Phoenix, AZ – 9%
  • Milwaukee, WI – 8%
  • Silver Spring, MD – 8%
  • Hoboken, NJ – 8%
  • Brookline, MA – 7%
  • Arlington, VA – 7%
  • New Haven, CT – 7%
  • East Lansing, MI – 6%
  • Somerville, MA – 6%
  • Jamaica Plain, MA – 6%
  • Newark, DE – 5%
  • Tampa, FL – 5%