Traditional Easter dishes

Easter is clearly the greatest feast in Christianity, in other words the feast of feasts, because it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the salvation of mankind.

What is Easter
This feast is the Old Testament feast of Passover (the deliverance from Egyptian captivity), which is actually fulfilled, according to Christian teaching, by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus was condemned to death by the governor Pontius Pilate on the eve of the Jewish Passover, then crucified on Good Friday, and finally, at dawn on Sunday, he rose from the dead and was revealed to his disciples. Easter is preceded by the forty-day Lent period (from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday), so the word Easter itself refers to the fact that after the fasting period meat can be eaten again.

Easter customs
Easter is associated with a whole host of folk customs, beliefs and rituals, which we will now go through in detail.

Closely linked to Easter Sunday is the ritual of blessing the Easter food: the Easter cake, the ham, the lamb, the wine or the eggs, which symbolise the new birth, brought to the church in a covered basket. After the blessing, the faithful would hurry home from the church, because according to popular belief, the first one home would be successful in the harvest, while the last one home would die that year. It was important for the family to eat the boiled egg together on the way home from the church, as it represented the family's sense of togetherness. Of the consecrated foods, the lamb symbolised the sacrifice of Jesus himself (the Lamb of God) and the wine symbolised his blood. The remains of the egg were also believed to have magical powers, as the shell was scattered on the seed or placed in the nests of the birds, in order to protect them.

The customs associated with Easter Monday are also clearly symbolic, as the watering of the Easter eggs symbolises the cleansing power of water, the rebirth of Jesus (the red colour of the egg symbolises the blood of the spilled blood, or, according to other beliefs, the protective power), and the rabbit, which is later associated with the holiday, is also a symbol of fertility and renewal.

Traditional Easter foods
As mentioned above, Easter foods are largely symbolic, but let's look at some of them now, with some practical tips:

Easter ham. As the recipe for cooked ham says, it is worth taking your time to prepare it, soaking it at least overnight before cooking to ensure that it loses its saltiness, and then cooking it for at least as many hours as the ham itself weighs.

Easter scones. The original and most delicious version also takes time to make, as it starts by feeding the sourdough and then the bread is made from it, usually braided for the holiday.

Lamb: Fresh lamb is another traditional Easter dish. To prepare it, it is important to always use fresh meat and when seasoning it, feel free to add lots of garlic and freshly picked rosemary sprigs, as they make an incredible combination of flavours.

and last but not least, Babka: To add a little sweetness to the Easter meal, we have Babka, also known as Jerusalem bread, which is either a Polish Easter cake or a dish with Jewish roots. The point is that it is divine. The rolled out sheet of dough should be buttered and rolled up like a bejgli, then cut in half lengthwise and twist the two halves together, this is what makes it layered and beautiful. It's important to have plenty of filling, which can be either chocolate or, for example, a filling made from nuts.