Celebrate Easter: 7 Traditional Desserts From Varied Nations

Within less than a week Christians all over the world will celebrate Easter. Regularly they celebrate
Easter with a symbolized popular tradition from Europe of decorating Easter eggs. Gathering with family
and enjoying traditional dishes are sort of festivity that enlive the tradition which is similar to Christmas.

Along with the adorned colorful eggs and easter bunny, Christian families in many countries also serve
Easter traditional food from main dishes to desserts, complemented by philosophy meaning on their
own. This Easter we recommend you to try these traditional dessert from various nations which can be
recipe inspiration for you to make:

Pashka (Russia)

Often served as dessert by Russians, Pashka is made from farmer’s cheese (cream cheese and cottage
cheese) and and usually accompanied by Kulich bread. This cake is generally shaped into a cone or
pyramid form. The name of Pashka itself originally derives from “Pascha”, the Easter celebration of
Eastern Orthodox and means “Easter” in Russian. Russian decorate Pashka with Cyrillic writing that has
the meaning “Lord Jesus has arisen” then bring it to church to be blessed on Great Saturday.

Colomba Pasquale (Italy)

This cake is quite popular in Italy for its unique dove shape that reflects freedom and peace. A baker
from Milan named Angelo Motta claimed this dish as an Easter version of Christmas specialty dish
“Panettone”. To make Colomba Pasquale you need to prepare eggs, sugar, natural yeast, butter, and
flour and fill the dough with candied peel without raisins. Sprinkle it with almonds and sugar on top
before you place the dough to be baked in the oven.

Simnel Cake (UK and Ireland)

Simnel Cake is decorated with eleven or twelve balls made of marzipan paste (sweet yellowish paste of
egg whites, ground almonds, and sugar, often used to make confection, small cakes, or icing for larger
cakes). The balls that encircle the top of the cake owns a philosophy which represents the amount of
Jesus’ disciples (minus Judas). You are bound to create two distinguished layers of paste in the middle
and on the top of the cake in the process of making it. This typical cake from England and Ireland has
been around since 17th century.

Torta Pascualina (Argentina and Uruguay)

Originated from Italy, Pascualina contains boiled egg, parsley, spinach, ricotta cheese, and artichoke.
This savory cake consists of no meat as it regularly served during Holy Week or fasting and abstinence
period. You can also substitute artichokes with pumpkin, eggplant, beet or other vegetable ingredient.
For meat or beef replacement, people in Argentina and Uruguay use lots of eggs as resurrection epitome
of Jesus Christ.
Tsoureki (Greek)

Tsoureki is three-braided shaped sweet bread that represents Holy Trinity in Easter and originated from
Byzantine era. Traditionally you include the red-dyed boiled egg as a symbol from blood of Christ to be
tucked on the dough before you bake it into the oven. At certain occasion Tsoureki’s braid is also shaped
either into two large braid or a circle and be flavoured with Chian or Chios mastic, resin of Pistacia
lentiscus, and vanilla. You need milk, flour, eggs, sugar, yeast, butter, citrus zest, and mahleb (seeds of
ground cherry pits) for basic ingredients to make a good Tsoureki until it’s fluffy, moist yet soft and
stringy.

Hot Cross Bun (England)

As it is implied by its name, the cross drawn on the bun represents the crucifixion process of Jesus
Christ. Hot cross buns is believed to protect your kitchen from evil spirits and preventing fires thus it is
traditionally served and eaten on Good Friday. This bun gives a spiced sweet tastes which is topped
with frozen sugar and raisins inside. The contained spices of hot cross buns signifies the spices that are
used to embalm the Christ at his burial. Aside from Good Friday and Easter, the Anglo Saxons began the
tradition to divide the bread in honoring four parts of the moon.

Capirotada (Mexico)

Capirotada is a pre-Easter bread pudding soaked with syrup made of cane sugar, cinnamon sticks, and
cloves. You can add Ingredients like assorted nuts, seeds, dried fruits for its topping. Some people also
use additional cheese as capirotada usually does not involve any meat except as an upper layer. The
main ingredients of this Mexican dessert brings significance to crucification event where the cinnamon
sticks signify the cross, the cloves signify the nail of the cross, the syrup signifies the blood of the Christ,
and the bread represents His body.

Those are the list of several traditional desserts around the world in which you can prefer to make for
Easter Celebration. What about your own Easter traditional food? Give us your thoughts on the
comment section below. Happy Easter!

By Dias M. Q.