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Easter around the world

Ever wondered what others eat and do during the spring festivities?

The king of food at Easter across the globe is unsurprisingly the egg, even in non-Christian countries.

In China, for example, the giving of eggs has taken place at this time of the year for millennia. The Chinese believed in the sacredness of eggs and gave them as gifts during joyful celebrations. They were meant to be a symbol of spring and fertility.

At least 3,000 years ago, the Chinese painted eggs red for spring festivals. Back in 722 BC, for instance, historic records have revealed that a Chinese Chieftain gave these as gifts in to celebrate spring.

Works of art
Of all the traditions of painting eggs, Romania arguably features the most ornate and exquisite. These beautiful art forms are clinked together, while in Bulgaria people are more energetic and bang each other’s eggs until they crack. The person whose egg remains in tact is said to have good luck for the whole year.

Hungarian’s traditional Easter folk art is almost as impressive as the Romanians’. Hardboiled eggs are dyed in various colors and hand-painted with intricate geometrical or stylised floral designs. Patterns vary from region to region.

Feast after fasting
Just like the giving and painting of eggs, feasting at Easter is also popular the world over, particularly in Christian countries as the festival comes after the fasting of Lent. This has resulted in a number of different traditional Easter delicacies. In Romania, for example, traditional fare includes Pasca, a type of cheesecake, and Lamb Drob, which resembles haggis. There’s also Cozonaci, a round or rectangular sweet bread, similar to Italian panetone, which is also eaten at other festivals across the year.

Meanwhile, in the Northern part of Argentina, people hold the Carnival. Preparations begin when the algarroba beans are ripe. There are the sounds of singing and the jangling of the charango, a type of ukelele, and two alcoholic drinks called aloja and chicha are prepared in large quantities. People also gather the herb basil, but to ward off evil spirits rather than eat.

African influence
Moving to Africa, the Ethiopian Easter festival is called Fassika. During lent, Ethiopian Christians avoid eating animal products, such as meat, eggs, butter, milk, yoghurt, cream and cheese. They break their fast following the Easter Eve church service, when families return home to share the main celebratory meal of the day.

During Easter, Ethiopians eat a large special sourdough bread called Dabo. They bake enough of it to offer a slice to everyone who visits the house. On Easter morning, the bread should be cut after saying a prayer, either by a priest or by the main man of the house.

Back in Europe, Greeks hold outdoor banquets on Easter Sunday, feasting on barbequed lamb, eggs, bread, salads and Easter cake. The food is spread out on long tables for everyone to enjoy. A round, flat loaf marked with a cross and decorated with red Easter eggs, called Christopsomon, is also eaten. Another bread, Tsoureki, is also popular during the Greek Easter Sunday meal. It is often plaited or made into a wreath and is usually baked with red eggs in the centre.

Unusual traditions
Feasting also takes place in Papua New Guinea, along with an altogether more unusual tradition. On Easter Sunday another church service is held, featuring the Easter Tree – a small shrub or branches tied together – on which sticks of tobacco and packets of cigarettes are hung. After the service, these are distributed among the congregation!

Returning to Europe once more, Easter Monday in Hungary sees boys sprinkle girls with perfume or perfumed water, and wish them good luck. The girls reward they boys who spray them with coins or Easter eggs. This is also a day of hospitality when visitors are welcome. Easter greetings are exchanged and guests are served traditional Easter pastries and small glasses of apricot or plum brandy.

Yugoslavian Easter eggs bear the letters XV, which stand for Christos vakrese or ‘Christ is risen’, while traditional festive fare includes boiled smoked ham served with hard-boiled eggs, fresh horseradish and white bread.

Other food eaten to celebrate Easter includes Flaounes or cheese pies from Cyprus and Pizza Con Prosciutto from Italy. You’ll find the recipes for these below, along with the Greek Tsoureki Easter bread.

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Check out our two Easter blogs:
Eggs-ercise away those Easter calories
5 tips for a healthier Easter


Traditional Easter recipes

Tsoureki – Traditional Greek Easter bread

Ingredients:
2 packets of dry yeast or 50g of fresh yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm milk
1tsp sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1tsp aniseed
1tsp salt
3/4 cup hot milk
4 eggs beaten
6 cups plain flour
5 hard-boiled eggs – dyed red

Soften the yeast with the 1/4 cup lukewarm milk and 1tsp sugar. Combine the softened butter, sugar, lemon rind, aniseed and salt. Add the hot milk and stir well.

Add yeast mixture to milk mixture. Then add the eggs and 2 cups of flour and beat in a mixer. Then mix in 2 1/2 cups of flour until dough is soft and sticky.

Knead in the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour for 10 minutes.

Place ball of dough in a bowl brushed with melted butter. Cover bowl with a cloth and let rise in warm place for 3hrs.

Punch dough down and turn on a floured surface. Divide into 3 equal pieces and shape each piece into a 50cm rope. Braid and shape into a circle and press the ends together.

Place on greased a tray and press in dyed eggs. Brush with melted butter, cover and let rise until double in size. Bake in preheated oven at 160ºC for 45-50mins.


Pizza Con Prosciutto – A traditional Easter dish in many parts of Italy

Ingredients:
Filling
225g proscuitto ham about 6mm thick
1 link-dried sweet sausage
225g mozzarella diced
700g ricotta cheese
1 cup grated percorino cheese

Dough
2 cups flour
2 eggs
3tbps milk
2tbps melted butter

Preheat oven to 190ºC. Dice ham and sausage, and mix together with all the cheeses. Set aside.

Sift flour, and make a well. Add eggs, milk and butter. Mix gradually then knead well. Roll mixture into a ball, and cut in half. Roll out half on a floured board to the thickness of a pie crust.

Lift into a pie dish. Add filling, and spread out evenly.

Roll out remaining pastry and place on top. Seal by pressing edges together.

Bake for 1hrr till brown. Serve at room temperature.



Flaounes - Easter cheese pies from Cyprus

Ingredients:
Dough
4-5 cups flour
60g fresh yeast
4tbsps warm water
1/2 cup butter
1tbsps sugar
2tsps salt
1/2 cup hot milk
1tsps ground mastic
3 eggs

Filling:
370g haloumi or
250g kasseri and 100g kefalotini
2tbsps semolina
1 1/2tsps baking powder
4-5 eggs
2tsps mint
sesame seeds
1 egg

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add water, sugar and salt to hot milk and then add yeast, mastic, 2 eggs and enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead and allow to rise in a warm place.

Mix the ingredients for filling, except 1 egg and the sesame seeds. It should make a stiff mixture.

Roll out dough to 1cm thick and cut into 6-8 rounds. Put out 2tbsps of filling in each round. Moisten edges and fold in corners to make square tart with a small opening in centre. Cover tarts and allow to rise to almost double in size.

Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in moderately hot oven for approximately 25mins. Serve hot or cold.