In the Christian world Easter celebrates the rebirth of Jesus Christ and the foods made for this special day capture that spirit of celebration. Some Easter foods go back to earlier spring rites and then there are the modern day confections which have come to mean Easter delights. The foodie cannot complain.
Easter Eggs
Eggs stand for rebirth and rejuvenation, hence the prominent place given to eggs in Easter traditions. Initially, it was just about eggs cooked and coloured. Later, as chocolate-making traditions became refined, the chocolate Easter egg came into being. And now they just go hand in hand with Easter Sunday.
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Hot cross buns
A sweet rich bun celebrating the arrival of spring could well have been a Pagan ritual. They came back in vogue in 19th century England and have remained a hot favourite since.
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Simnel cake
This fruit cake is another Easter special in England and Ireland. It’s sandwiched with marzipan and often has 12 marzipan balls as decorating, standing for the 12 disciples of Christ.
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Capirotada
This is a bread pudding made in Mexico over the Easter weekend. It’s every element is said to represent the suffering of Christ –the bread represents the Body of Christ, the syrup his blood, the raisins are the nails of the cross, and the whole cinnamon sticks symbolise the wooden cross.
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Kulich
Kulich is an Easter bread that’s part of the festivities in Russia. A rich cake-like bread is baked in tall cylinders, decorated with icing and scattered with fresh spring flowers. It is then usually blessed by a priest before being devoured.
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Tsoureki
This is another rich bread baked in Greece during Easter festivities. It is topped with eggs that have been dyed red, a symbol of the blood of Christ.
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Colomba di Pasqua
While the Italians feast on panettone for Christmas, Colomba di Pasqua is the chosen bread for Easter. It’s made from a buttery dough, packed with candied peel and is shaped into a distinctive dove shape.
